If I Lose Myself
by TalysAlankil
Summary: When Nico di Angelo and his sister are sent to a summer camp, he's ready to spend the worst month of his life. Things do not quite go as planned, however.
1. Chapter 1

The first summer after moving to the United States, Maria di Angelo decided that it would be a good idea to send her children to summer camp. An idea which her son did _not_ appreciate in the slightest. Nico was fourteen years old, the age where teenage awkwardness peaked and thrived on the boy's insecurities. He was too thin, too short, too nerdy; there was always something wrong with him. Being forced to spend a whole month with other kids his age, in spite of what his mom said, could only lead to a disaster. And in fact, it did; just not the kind of disaster Nico had expected.

Camp Half-Blood was the one she had chosen, located on Long Island. It was the corniest name ever given to a summer camp, and Maria had chosen it because she thought Nico would appreciate the Greek mythology theme surrounding it. Which meant that, naturally, Nico hated it.

As soon as Maria dropped him and his sister Bianca at the camp, Nico was ready for something to go horribly wrong; or so he thought. He could not expect what happened as soon as he scanned the crowd of teenagers who were gathered there, all wearing the same gaudy orange t-shirt, greeting each other like old friends. Which they probably were: from what Nico had read on the Internet, most residents came to the camp every year starting at eleven years old. He could have—should have—ignored them all, but his eyes caught on one particular face.

In English, they say 'love at first sight', and in Nico's native Italian, '_amore a prima vista_', which means pretty much the same thing. But in New Orleans, Nico had picked up a little bit of French, and their expression felt a lot more appropriate: '_coup de foudre_'. A lightning strike. Sudden, intense, blinding, painful, leaving nothing in its wake.

That was pretty much how Nico felt as he saw that face: his heart could have stopped and he would not notice. The face belonged to a boy, older than him by a few years, much taller than him, whose shirt may have been just a little too tight over lean, but defined, muscles. Even from a distance, Nico noticed the green of his eyes, forming a perfect contrast against his mussed, jet-black hair. He was busy falling into someone else's embrace, laughing all the while.

Short version: he was absolutely gorgeous.

"Nico? Are you okay?" Bianca was eyeing her brother questioningly. Had he beens taring for long? Had Bianca noticed what he'd been staring at? Hopefully not. His sister would never let him live it down. In all likelihood, the only time she wouldn't spend teasing him, she would be trying to set him up with the boy.

"Yeah, 'm fine," he grumbled. One good-looking guy made virtually no difference. He was still stuck at this place for a month, with a whole lot of people who visibly knew each other and thus wouldn't need him. This couldn't get any better. If by 'better' you meant 'worse'.

A few people arrived from inside the camp proper, calling the crowd of teenagers to gather. Calling them adults would be too generous: most of them had been residents themselves one or two years before, at most—they couldn't be over twenty. The only difference between the youngest of them and the oldest of the campers was their shirts, which was white rather than orange. That was how Camp Half-Blood was run: some of the former residents loved it so much that they became staff themselves. How it worked out, Nico had no idea. He supposed he would find out soon enough.

"Hello guys!" one of them said, a young man with sandy hair. Nico supposed he was handsome too, but it barely registered. It was still taking all he had not to look for the other boy in the crowd. "It's so good to see you again! For the new kids, my name's Fred, I'm one of this camp's leaders. Since this is your first day, we'll only ask you to go to the dorms so you can find the bed that's been assigned to you and drop your stuff there. Then you'll go shower in time for dinner, and you'll have free time in the evening to look around. As usual, I'll remind the older kids to help out the new ones. You know the drill. Now go."

Nico picked up his bag, sighing. "Talk about an organization," he muttered, following the crowd to two buildings—the dorms, he supposed. Or, as he heard some of the boys around him call them, the bungalows.

They didn't look like bungalows to Nico: going with the Ancient Greek theme of the place, they were decorated to look like a Hollywood version of Ancient Greece. It was very obvious that the only building of reference used by the designer of this place was the Parthenon: the columns, the triangular pediment above the front door, there were even a few steps to get to said door, even though the building was not above the ground.

The residents were sorted into the bungalows by gender, and thus, Nico and Bianca were separated. His sister cast him one last worried glance, but his only response was a "See you at dinner" before he rushed inside. Bianca's attentions were nice, but he doubted it would do any good if anyone caught him relying on his sister. He could already hear everyone calling him a baby, a girl, or slurs he didn't want to think about.

Inside the bungalow was pretty much a normal dormitory: two rows of bunk beds against the walls, with enough space between them for their occupants' possessions. There was barely any decoration, which was surprising to Nico, considering the outside appearance of the building, but also a relief. The place was in complete and utter chaos: every boy inside seemed to be wandering around aimlessly, but with all of their bags and suitcases, there wasn't enough space in the central space between the beds. The boys seemed to converge towards the oldest residents among them, who were holding sheets of paper, but they were all talking at the same time, preventing Nico from listening to anyone, or understanding anything that was going on.

"You're new, right?" an amused voice called from behind. "Don't worry, they're not like that all month." Nico turned around to the origin of that voice, and staggered almost immediately. Sure enough, it was the boy that had caught his attention earlier, even more gorgeous from up close, with a friendly smile on his face. He also had a sheet of paper in his hands, and held it up. "The dorm's plans. Everyone is assigned a bed in advance, and nobody complains. Well, except for right now, where everybody complains because only the senior residents get the plans. What's your name? I'll look you up."

_You can look me up anytime_, was the first thought that crossed Nico's mind. Thankfully, he was still too paralyzed to say anything, and he regained control of his mind before the stupid line reached his lips. With a deep breath, he managed to articulate: "Nico di Angelo."

"Nice to meet you, Nico. I'm Percy. Percy Jackson." He held out his left hand, as he still held his paper in the other, which he was browsing at the same time. Nico awkwardly shook the offered hand, but Percy didn't even seem to notice. "Ah, there. Lucky you, you'll be sleeping right under me."

Before Nico's mind could turn that sentence into a visual, Percy waved him to follow as he cut his way through the crowd. He must be famous around the camp, because the other boys parted before him before Percy even had to ask. Finally, the reached a bunk bed, somewhere near the middle of the left row, and Percy pulled to a stop.

"There we are. You get the bottom bunk, I get the top. Unless you really want the top one. Officially we're not supposed to trade places, but I don't mind. We can just keep it between us."

"No, bottom's fine." Nico was still surprised by his ability to string three words together; he wasn't about to complain about which bed he got. The way Percy treated him was a little too disarming for the sake of his sanity. He couldn't remember anyone, in Italy or New Orleans, acting this… normal to him. "It's fine."

"But is it fine, I wonder?" A smirk had blossomed on Percy's face, and Nico felt a blush creeping up his chin. There, that was closer to the usual treatment Nico got from guys like Percy. A whole lot of mockery. Before Nico could retort anything, however, someone called out Percy's name in the distance. "Sorry, gotta go. There's a whole lot of other guys who still don't know where they'll sleep. Make yourself at home!"

He was gone in a flash, a garish orange flash surmounted by an absolutely perfect face.

Yes, disaster had struck already. Just not the one Nico had been expecting.

* * *

Nico hadn't reacted when the camp leader Fred had announced they would all go shower before dinner. He should have. The showers at Camp Half-blood proved to be the worst form of torture.

They were taken in common by the entire bungalow, in a single, huge room, leaving no room for privacy whatsoever. That alone would have been enough of a pain to Nico: he did not even like being shirtless in public, let alone naked in front of a few dozen teenagers. But, adding to the already long list of preposterous rules of the camp, was this one: for "maximal efficiency", campers had to shower at the exact same spot every day, one that was assigned to them. And of course, the places had been assigned to mirror the dorm.

Showering next to anyone at all was embarrassing. Showering next to Percy Jackson was humiliating, irritating, and incredibly enticing all at once. Getting to see Percy shamelessly naked was awful. That Percy kept up his nice guy routine, and attempted to engage in conversation, was terrible. Having Percy hand him a soap, because Nico had not realized he had to bring his own, and with no second thoughts, was unbearable. And briefly touching Percy's wrist and fingers as Nico took the offered soap was downright pornographic.

All in all, Nico was glad he could control the water's temperature, because without a constantly cold spray on his skin, he was pretty sure the situation would become incredibly more embarrassing.

_At least he's not offering to scratch my back_, Nico thought bitterly as he regained the dorm. That a part of him answered with a very vivid image did _not_ help. Shaking off the thought, Nico rummaged through his bag, pulling out a portable console.

If there was one good thing about living in the United States, it was that games were almost always released earlier; right before being sent off to this camp, Nico had acquired a brand new copy of the _Mythomagic_ adaptation in video game. Well, the first; Nico hoped there would be more in the future. He lay back on the bed, turning on the console.

Percy's head almost immediately appeared from above. "I wouldn't flaunt that if I were you. Camp policies are strictly against these things. They think it prevents you from socializing."

"Obviously they didn't think not everyone would want to socialize." Nico's stark remark left his mouth before he realized what he was saying, but Percy laughed.

"Yeah, it _is_ pretty ridiculous. Anyway, I'm just warning you, because Fred and some of the other leaders will be there soon to take us to dinner, and if they catch you with this, they'll take it from you for the whole month."

Nico groaned, but turned off the console. "Awesome. Thanks for the warning, I guess."

"You're welcome. Hey, maybe I can show you around after dinner? There are a few places I know where you can be alone pretty much whenever you need to. And play your game. What do you say?"

"Yes!" The word left Nico's lips before he realized how enthusiastic he sounded. Mentally cursing, he sat up, managed a shrug, and added, "I mean, if you have nothing better to do."

"Of course not!"

Of course not. There was something incredibly upsetting about these words; they could hold so much meaning, or so little. It could be a mere curtesy, an act of kindness, or something more. Nico wanted it to be something more. But he couldn't let himself hope; hoping was dangerous. There was a reason hope had been in Pandora's box, after all.

* * *

The male camp leaders came minutes later, as Percy had warned, to let the boys know it was time for supper. The disorganized crowd that left the bungalow was probably as orderly as the camp would ever get, judging by what Nico had seen so far.

Percy disappeared with his friends, the same ones Nico had seen him greet when he had first arrived at Camp Half-Blood, leaving him alone. It was only when the girls joined them, on a terrace where tables had been set for dinner, that Nico finally noticed a familiar face: Bianca, as well as their cousin, Hazel.

Hazel was one of the people they had lived with, back in New Orleans. Her mother and Nico's mom were adopted sisters, whose parents, a couple of ambassadors, had found during their travels around the world. But just like Maria di Angelo had eventually returned to her native Italy, Marie Levesque had gone back to her home of New Orleans, where she'd had a daughter.

Nico knew that Hazel had been sent to the camp after his mom had decided to send her children, in an attempt to get their children closer. Over the few months spent with her before they'd moved to New Orleans, Nico had grown to like the girl, but they were too dissimilar sometimes to make an actual bond. Still, two people to have dinner with was better than none, and he was grateful for Hazel's presence; even more so when Bianca left them to join another group of girls her age.

Dinner flew by, and all of a sudden, most of the residents scattered on the camp's grounds, in small groups, or in some case, in couples. Bianca had followed her new friends, and soon enough, Hazel left as well, with a boy named Frank, who, in spite of being her age—thus younger than Nico—was much taller than him. She offered Nico to come along, but he declined, unwilling to be the awkward third wheel to his cousin.

He lingered at the terrace a short while longer, before heading back to the dorm. However, just as he did, a hand clasped around his arm, startling him. He knew what this was already: some of the boys had decided he was alone, and therefore, an easy target. They were right, of course.

His glare met confused green eyes. "Hey, no need to look so _grim_!" It was Percy. Of course it was Percy. "You still up for that secret tour of the place I offered you?"

"I didn't remember it being a _secret_ tour," Nico retorted. Then, a little more calmly, he added, "I thought you'd just, you know, left with your friends or whatever. Which would be fine. You don't owe me anyth—"

"Dude. I promised you. That would be so not okay." The serious, almost offended expression on Percy's face was as preposterous as it was adorable. "Come on, let's go."

They were soon almost completely in the dark: the terrace and the bungalows were the only places with sources of light, and night had fallen quickly and surprisingly over dinner. Only then did Nico find the courage to ask something to Percy.

"Why— why are you doing this?"

Percy paused and looked back at him, confused. "Doing what?"

"Showing me around. And just… being nice to me."

Percy crossed his arms in front of him. "I'd like to think I'm a nice guy." His tone was a little defensive, but Nico had to press on. He had to know. If this was all an elaborate prank, it was better that Nico knew about it sooner than later.

"But why _me_?"

"Look. There's one rule at the camp that the leaders didn't make up—it's more of an unspoken rule between all the residents. The guy who shares your bunk bed? He's like your partner for the entirety of the month. A sacred bond and all. And since you're new, it means I should take care of you." He chuckled. "But I would still like to think I'm a nice guy. And you look like one too. Do you really need more?"

Did he? "No, I guess not."

A strange expression crossed Percy's features for a moment—too brief for Nico to decipher it—before it was replaced by a large grin. "Well, we'd better keep going. I want to show you something in the woods. It's pretty dark in there at night, you should hold my hand."

Nico complied. Happily.

If it was going to be one huge prank against him, he might as well enjoy it while he could.


	2. Chapter 2

Percy and Nico were among the last to head back to the dorm, and Nico was more smitten than ever. In spite of the hand-holding, the 'secret tour' had been predictably, irritatingly platonic. And yet, Nico was not disappointed by it. At least, he now felt more confident about his ability to talk normally to the guy, which was a good start. A good start in what direction, Nico was not entirely sure, but he had plenty of time to figure it out.

It had been a very strange evening to Nico, rushing from one place to another, barely ever staying in place. Percy was constantly dynamic, always on the move; and yet, he managed to balance that with constantly making sure Nico was keeping up with him. His movements were a dance, a tightly-orchestrated ballet for Nico's eyes only, and designed specifically for him as well.

Nico did the only reasonable thing in this situation, and enjoyed the hell out of it, not daring to do anything that would break the spell. He could have asked a million questions, just to find out if he would ever get a chance with Percy—_do you have a girlfriend, how do you feel about gay people, can I just kiss you already_—but he didn't. Asking would give himself away, and ruin the moment; he could do it later. And if he couldn't, well, he still had this night. Even if he didn't get a boyfriend out of this, it looked like he had gotten a friend. Nico didn't have too many of those either.

The following morning was a hurried blur. Camp Half-Blood had a very tight schedule of activities for its residents, most of the competitive, and most of them performed in pairs. Suddenly, the 'sacred bond' Percy had mentioned made a lot more sense: practically everyone ended up teaming up with the person sharing a bunk bed with them. And that included Percy, who came to find a very confused Nico as everyone was gearing up for a competition to get to the top of a climbing wall.

The older boy was carrying two harnesses with him. He tossed one to Nico, who fumbled his way into putting it on. Percy noticed, chuckled, and said, "Here, let me help you." He moved closer to Nico, checking each of the straps one by one, unwittingly electrifying Nico's skin with every touch. By the time Percy was done, Nico was surprised he could still stand straight, or that Percy hadn't noticed anything.

He barely had time to catch his breath before the race started. Each pair had to race up the wall simultaneously, as their harnesses were connected by a short length of rope. And as Nico feared, Percy, with his tall frame, and his musculature, and his many years spent at the camp, was excellent at this. Really, Nico didn't understand who thought it was fair to pitt all the kids against each other regardless of age.

Nico, on the other hand, had always been a nerd, and very happy to fit most aspects of the stereotype, including no experience in any physical activity whatsoever. When their turn came, Percy practically flew upwards while Nico was still looking for a few holds he could use to start. It was only a matter of seconds until Percy was slowed down by him, and then things would go horribly wrong.

Or so Nico thought. Percy stopped before the rope connecting them was even tight, and called out to him. "Follow after me!"

Confused, Nico looked at the path that Percy had taken upwards, and noticed that the holds there should be within his reach. He hurried over there and started climbing, quickly surprised at how little effort it seemed to require.

The rope at his harness bumped against his arm, indicating that Percy was moving again, and Nico looked up to see which way he was taking, determined to follow him. That proved to be a terrible mistake, however: with the harness tightening his clothes, the view over Percy's ass was _fantastic_. Nico's brain short-circuited again, but only briefly, as the tug of his harness shook him out of his contemplation.

If the exercise had seemed easy at first, it soon ceased to be: Nico's arms were aching, his hands felt like they would slip any moment, and if he looked down, he was sure to be greeted with the pure terror of a several-meters fall. This was enough to force Nico to focus, one movement at a time.

And then, all of a sudden, there were no more hold to grab above him; instead, his hand found Percy's, who helped him reach the top of the wall. There, Nico collapsed, fighting to catch his breath.

"Not bad at all, for a first time."

Nico stared at Percy. "Yeah, right. I don't think we were the fastest."

"Dude, who cares about winning? I'm sure you'll have a very respectable time, and that's all that matters. You really gave it your all."

"You did all the job. How did you even know I could follow you?"

"It's my seventh year here. I've had a lot of time to figure out all the possible routes. I just used one that I used to take a few years ago, when I was your age."

His seventh year. Since the camp only admitted children from eleven to seventeen, that meant Percy was the latter—and that this would be his last year at Camp Half-Blood. Somehow Nico felt sad to hear it. "Right. Well, thanks."

"You're welcome. Hey, if you keep this up I'm sure I can even get you up to speed. There'll be other races to win."

Percy's grin, and his optimism, were dangerously contagious. "I'll do my best." He paused, noticing that another pair was getting ready to climb. "So… how do we get down?"

Percy stood up. "That's the best part. Over here."

Nico wasn't sure he wanted to stand on top of this wall, which suddenly looked way too narrow for comfort. But Percy was already making his way to one end of it, and because of the rope still tied between them, Nico had no choice but to follow, albeit much more slowly.

As he caught up, Percy pulled a contraption hanging above him, connected to a cable that hung above the wall, and far from it, all the way to the nearby lake—a giant zip-line. As soon as Nico saw it, he guessed what was going to follow.

"Before we go, I have to ask: can you swim?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, but… wait, I— I'm not sure I want to do that."

Percy paused. "Come on, there's nothing to worry about!" That did little to reassure Nico, and Percy seemed to notice on his face. "Hold on, I've got an idea." Instead of connecting the contraption to either of their harnesses, he fixed it to the rope connecting both of them. "There. Now we can go together."

"I'm pretty sure that's even _less_ safe."

"Nah, I've done it a billion times. It's fine. You just hold on to me, and I'll make sure we get down safely."

Nico had to admit, the prospect of holding on to Percy did most of the convincing. And there was no visible alternative, anyway—except for climbing down, which he was not sure he was ready for. "Alright, whatever."

"Okay. Grab on, and just jump when I tell you to." He took Nico's arms before he could move at all, and secured one around his own waist, and the other to his shoulders. "Ready?" He wrapped an arm against Nico's own waist, while he held the rope between them with his other hand.

Nico refused to answer, because he was fairly certain a 'no' would do nothing at this point, and yet, a 'yes' would be a complete lie. So instead, he just grabbed on a little tighter, a little closer, to Percy, and nodded against his chest. Immediately, his entire world was reduced to the orange of Percy's shirt, and his scent, close to sea breeze and reminding Nico of days spent at a beach in Ostia, when he was a kid. The only sound that still existed was Percy's breathing, and his heartbeat.

Until his voice broke through it all. "Jump!"

Against all odds, Nico managed to pull himself from his daze and follow Percy's movement, jumping into the air.

For a short moment, time seemed to stop, and Nico felt weightless. He was in midair, free-falling, about to die—or at least, that was what his brain told him. Percy's presence, close to him, was a comfort, a rock in a storm. And then they started moving along the zip-line, and it all shattered. They picked up speed, and the feeling was… strangely exhilarating. Nico's heartbeat, already fast after the climbing and all the _Percy_ that had happened, picked up speed even more, but for once, it wasn't painful.

Percy whooped with pure, utter glee, and Nico couldn't help but let out a semi-nervous laugh, all the while gripping to the other boy as tight as he could. It was an entrancing feeling, sure, but it was also _terrifying_.

It seemed to last forever, and yet, a small, almost mute, part of himself, was still aware that only a few seconds had passed when Percy spoke again, yelling to make sure Nico would hear him in spite of the wind. "Get ready; we'll drop soon."

_Drop?_ What did he mean, drop—

Suddenly, a mechanical sound came to Nico's ears from above; one he did _not_ like. And just as suddenly, he was no longer flying along the zip-line, nearly horizontal now. He was free-falling: for real, this time.

Looking down, he caught sight of the lake, a couple meters below him. He barely had time to hold his breath before he and Percy crashed into the water's surface. They sank for a few seconds, and Nico let go of Percy, furiously trying to kick his way upwards. Percy's arm did not let go of him, though, and soon, Nico felt himself being pulled up by the other boy.

That was just unfair. Nico was a decent swimmer; did Percy really have to be better at that _too_? As they reached the surface, Nico would have gotten mad, but they were in the middle of a lake, and Percy's arm was still around him, keeping him close. There was no way he could be mad at Percy right now. And that was even _worse_.

"So, what did you think?"

"I am going to _kill_ you."

"Wait until we get to shore; I wouldn't want you to have to drag my corpse along."

His deadpan answer made Nico giggle. "Okay, it was _kind of_ fun." The smile that grew on Percy's face should have been illegal.

They swam to the shore, and Percy worked on getting rid of their harnesses. Nico was too exhausted to even be upset anymore when Percy worked on his; especially not after being so close to him on the zip-line. He was _not_, however, too exhausted to look at Percy's wet clothes and hair cling to his skin. Too bad the camp's imposed shirt was a very opaque orange and not white, but this was already quite a sight to behold.

They walked back to the climbing wall together, and Nico was suddenly mortified when he realized that everyone had seen them ride the zip-line together. And yet, not one mocking comment came their way. Percy's two friends, that Nico had already seen from afar at dinner last night, came to them.

"Really, Percy? You had to do this again?"

Percy shrugged. "Nico was too scared to go alone, Jason. You would have done the same."

The other—Jason—scoffed. "I don't think so. Security measures are there for a reason." His expression softened quickly with a smile, and he turned to Nico. "Anyway. Good to see you're still in one piece; with Percy as a partner, that's an achievement. It's your first time here, isn't it? I'm Jason Grace."

"Nico di Angelo. And yes, it is."

"Dude, it's your first time?" Percy's other friend looked shocked. "You guys are ranked fifth at the moment!"

Percy stretched his arm, a cocky grin on his face. "Well, you know how it is, Grover. I've got awesome leadership skills."

"Right." Jason's deadpan tone was merciless; and yet, Nico couldn't help but like that.

"Well, tell them, Nico!"

Nico stared at the three of them, before shrugging. "Yeah, you did lead the way, I guess."

"See? Told you!"

Their banter continued, easy and natural, but Nico wasn't sure if he fit in their group. He definitely wasn't able to talk most of the time, with how loud Percy and Grover were. Eventually, he tuned them out, as Bianca and her partner—an older girl named Thalia— started climbing the wall.

Bianca was much more agile than Nico, and Thalia, who Jason told Nico was his sister, was also a veteran at the camp. Together, they went up the wall with incredible efficiency, carving their own paths individually, unlike Nico, who'd had to rely on Percy the whole way. They were up much faster, and placed second, only defeated by two girls named Clarisse and Silena.

In the final ranking, Nico and Percy were seventh, which was apparently a good thing, judging by his, Jason's, and Grover's reactions. When the announcement was made, Percy wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulder. "See? Not bad at all. I told you: we'll make a champion out of you. They'll all bow down to you!"

Nico couldn't really bring himself to really care about the competition, but he was unable to stay completely aloof next to Percy's enthusiasm. So he just went along. "I wanted to achieve world domination, but I guess I'll settle with this camp for now."

"That's the spirit!" Percy laughed. "Come on, let's have lunch. I'm starving."

Just like that, Nico was invited along. Just like that, Nico belonged.


	3. Chapter 3

Being accepted into a group of friends was a new experience to Nico, and a pleasant one. But it came without a fairly obvious downside: frustration. A _whole lot_ of frustration. The zip-line was just the beginning: it quickly became apparent that Percy was the sort of person who manifested their affection in very physical ways. And while Nico could deal with a heartwarming hug here and there, the concerto of fluttering touches that Percy seemed to be playing for him was driving him insane. It all culminated during his fifth night at Camp Half-Blood.

After the first evening, the residents never had another free evening, and the curfew was much more strictly imposed by the camp leaders. Gathering around fifty teenage boys in one dark room, in beds, resulted in a very predictable outcome. Every night, there would always be a few who would think everyone else was asleep, or think that they were more silent that their peers. Unless they just gave in to their hormones. One way or another, every night, Nico's keen hearing caught the noise of skin rubbing against skin, of shortening breaths, of bedsheets moving along with the movement of the bodies under them.

That teenage boys masturbated did not exactly surprise him; he was one himself. That they would do it in a dorm was even understandable, considering how little privacy they were given. If anything, he was bothered by his own inability to shut off the sounds and go to sleep.

Then came that fifth night, and these same sounds came from a much nearer source than usual: the bunk right above him.

Nico had to give it to Percy: he wasn't _as_ obvious as most of the others. And he at least had the decency to wait for an hour or so after lights off. Nico had already been drifting off, and wouldn't have noticed anything, but Percy's shuffling shook his own bed for a brief moment, startling him awake. The shuffling soon made a lot of sense when Nico caught a glimpse of Percy's shirt hanging from above, followed by his shorts, which slipped to the floor.

A faint cursing reached Nico's ears, but Percy made no move to recover them, and after one silent minute or so, came the characteristic sound of caresses, very slow at first, picking up speed progressively. Nico's treacherous imagination took over, resisting all forms of repression. It didn't even have to work all that much; he'd had to shower right next to Percy five times now, and knew every curve and line of the boy's body better than his own. By the time Percy's short breaths became audible, Nico's skin felt like it had been set on fire, and arousal coursed through his body, turning it into an inferno.

His left hand found its way into his boxers before he had properly realized it, and he was completely unable to will it out. Suddenly, Nico understood all the other boys—Percy included, damn him—and before he knew it, his underwear was around his ankles, his too-hot blanket was pushed aside, and his movements matched what he imagined Percy's were.

Nico was careful to make as little noise as possible, not so much out of a care for discretion—his mind was unable to think about that right now—but so he could focus on Percy's low, so very low, moans. Too low for anyone else but Nico to hear, but they guided him, shaped an imaginary scene where Percy was no longer alone, but with Nico, where those moans were the result of _his_ actions, and his name was almost on Percy's lips.

The image was too vivid, Percy and his goddamn voice were too close, Nico was too eager. Everything was all soon drowned in a whiteout, washed away by the orgasm that hit him.

When he came down, he realized that he _may_ have been a little loud himself. He hadn't cried out or anything, but he was fairly sure that Percy at least had heard his heavy breathing. He would just have to face that later.

He hadn't even thought of taking off his t-shirt, and it was now wet and sticky with his own semen. Sighing, he took it off; he could just wear another one, and hopefully put this one in the pile of dirty laundry without anyone noticing.

When his shirt hit the floor, a slightly louder moan came from above, and Nico realized that Percy _must_ have heard him throwing the shirt away. Unable to decide whether to be embarrassed, or intrigued that Percy hadn't thought it necessary to stop even though Nico was awake, Nico buried himself under his blanket, closing his eyes and willing this night to just _end_ already.

A few minutes later, a loud, dull thump forced him to open his eyes again. Percy had jumped down from his bunk, and he groped around in the dark until he found his fallen shorts. Even in the dark, Nico could make out his shape easily, and see that he hadn't considered it necessary to put his shirt back on—or anything else. And even though he had seen him naked before, and with the lights on, there was something much more enticing about it now. Perhaps because the darkness made it seem forbidden, or because of what they'd both just done.

It only lasted for a minute, though, before Percy found his shorts, put them back on, then climbed back into his bunk.

Silence fell back on the dorm, but Nico didn't fall asleep for a long time.

* * *

The next morning was surprisingly normal… for about two minutes. As soon as sunlight filtered through the windows, Nico was awake, as usual—really, whose idea was it to not shield the windows in a dorm? Then his eyes fell over his discarded t-shirt, and he was suddenly half-jumping, half-falling out of bed, rushing to the basket of dirty clothes.

None of the boys were out of bed yet, but when he regained his own bunk, Percy cast him a curious glance from above.

"You slept shirtless?" A grin was growing on his face, dangerously wicked.

Nico groaned, grabbing another orange shirt—the camp had given him five in total. "Yeah, I was too hot last night." Not completely a lie, now that he thought about it.

"I bet you were." Nico froze under the remark, suddenly remembering that Nico had probably heard him at some point. His skin turned red in an instant, but Percy didn't elaborate. Instead, he jumped out of bed, landing right next to Nico—close enough for Nico to notice the musky note added in his scent, and to remember last night a little too vividly. "Anyway, what are your plans for today?"

"I should have plans?"

"Dude, it's Saturday. There are no organized activities on weekends. Well, there are a few, but it's not compulsory."

"Oh." Nico had read about that, but it had slipped his mind. "I don't know. What are your plans?"

"The usual. We meet up with the other people who ranked high, get to know the newcomers. And it's also a good opportunity for us to gather as friends."

"'Those who ranked high'? I thought the competition didn't matter?"

Percy shrugged. "Not to me. But to the rest of the camp, of course it does. People like to have champions. But it's a lot of fun, you'll see. I mean, if you want to come along."

"You mean I can come?"

Percy looked surprised by the question. "Of course. You're with me, remember?"

Nico became a little too conscious of their proximity in that moment. _You're with me_, Percy said, but he didn't mean. Not the way Nico wanted. A rational part of him said that he should step back, put some distance between them, calm down and stop the fantasy; but he was already in too deep, he had already fallen—hard. As soon as Percy had decided that they were friends, it was too late. He _couldn't_ step away without hurting himself anymore. All he could do was hop along and enjoy the ride while it lasted.

"All right, I'll come with you guys. I mean, why not, right?"

* * *

Nico followed Percy, Jason and Grover to a building they referred to as 'the pavilion'. Located not too far from the bungalows, it was a wooden cabin, large enough to house at least a dozen people quite comfortably. However, it wasn't used for housing. The upper floor, Grover told him, was used to store most of the camp's equipment during the months when no one was around.

As for the lower floor, it was where the party took place. It was just one single room, lined to one side with a bar—although it lacked the usual alcohols one would expect to find behind a bar—and equipped entirely for entertainment. Stools stood in front of the bar, and a few tables lined another wall, pushed against each other to make space, with chairs stacked on top. Across the room from them, there was a vast empty space, equipped with a few speakers and spotlights—a small, improvised dance floor.

On the other side of the dance floor from the bar, there was a pool table, while the rest of the room was furnished with two sets of comfortable couches and chairs. There was also a television, and Nico noticed a few consoles plugged into it.

No one was there, however, and Nico turned to the others. He'd long stopped fearing everything to be a prank, but this was still intriguing. "Where's everyone?"

"We're the lowest-ranking," Jason said grimly, with a dark glance at Percy. "So we have to make everything ready before the others arrive. Then we have breakfast as usual, and finally, we'll come back here. _That's_ when the party starts."

Nico was surprised by how much resentment was in his voice, but Percy just shrugged it off. "Come on, Jason, let's take care of bringing in the drinks. Grover, Nico, can you place the tables while we're gone?"

"Sure!" Grover sounded unreasonably excited at the prospect of moving tables. Jason left after Percy, leaving Nico alone with him.

Piqued by curiosity, Nico immediately started questioning Grover as they worked. "So… what's the deal with Jason today?"

"Oh. He never had to do this before. He's always been much closer to the top."

"But… he looked angry at Percy."

"Yeah. He and Jason were rivals for a long time, but last year, they were partners instead. They ended up at the top of the ranking all summer long. And since we're veterans this year, we could request to be paired with someone, so Jason thought Percy would pick him again, but then Percy let me be with Jason so that I could have a shot at being in the lead."

"But why didn't he pick you as his own partner, then?" Before Grover could answer, another question crossed Nico's mind. "Wait, does that mean Percy _picked_ me?"

"Kinda. He saw there was a new guy who wasn't a junior—that doesn't happen a lot here. I think he wanted to help you fit in? But anyway, I didn't want to be Percy's partner. It got him in trouble last time we were partners, so I promised I wouldn't let him pick me this year."

"Really? What happened?" Nico was only half-listening, though. _He picked me_. That thought bounced in his head over and over again. It was stupid; Percy didn't even _know_ him when he picked him. But it still felt groundbreaking.

"Not sure I should be the one telling you. You should ask Percy."

Nico stare at him for a moment, intrigued, but nodded. That wasn't really any of his business.

* * *

Percy and Jason returned, and the rest of the morning went according to plan. After breakfast, they returned to the pavilion, and this time, weren't alone. Percy introduced Nico to all of them, starting with the currently uncontested champions, Clarisse and Silena. The others were all a blur of names and faces which Nico doubted he would memorize all at once—Piper and Reyna, the twins Travis and Connor, Luke and Octavian, Annabeth and Rachel, and a few more who didn't even register.

And of course, there was Bianca and her partner, Thalia. "Nico! I'm so glad to see you here," his sister said, and hugged him.

Percy paused. "So… you know each other then?"

"That's my sister, Bianca. I already told you about her, you idiot."

Nico's word caused Thalia to smirk. "I like your brother's attitude," she told Bianca, pretending to whisper.

Percy shifted uncomfortably under the girls' gaze. "Right. Well, nice to meet you, Bianca. I'm Percy."

"I know. I'm glad to see someone's taking care of Nico. How did you even convince him to come?" An embarrassed blush crept up Nico's face. But it was still not the worst it could be. If he so much as looked at Percy, Bianca would be able to read him like an open book—she always did. And then things would get awkward.

"It wasn't hard at all. I'm a pro at getting people out of their shells."

Bianca glanced at Nico suspiciously. "I'm sure you are."

"Well, we don't want to keep you two to ourselves," Thalia said. "Come on, Bianca. Didn't you say you wanted to challenge me to a pool game?"

* * *

The party started, and never stopped. They spent the entire day in the pavilion, but there was so much to do that Nico never grew bored. There was just no time to; and no one seemed intent on rejecting him. Having a few friends was definitely helping, but soon, Nico found himself hanging out even with people he didn't know yet.

Late in the afternoon, Reyna heard (via Piper, because Jason had told her, who knew because of Percy) that Nico played Mythomagic, and challenged him to a duel, with Piper and Jason watching over them as a somewhat distracted, kissing audience.

Nico won by a narrow margin, but Reyna seemed happier to have found a worthy opponent than bitter about defeat. However, they didn't have a lot of time to talk about it, because Piper snatched Reyna almost immediately and dragged her to the dance floor, where they were now playing music. The girls' familiarity towards each other was a little disconcerting to Nico, especially after how she had just been all over Jason, but the older boy didn't seem to mind—on the contrary.

Jason caught Nico's puzzled stare, and replied with a smile. "You don't want to know."

"What if I do?"

"You'll have to wait a few years, then. Although I doubt you'd be into that anyway." He rose an eyebrow at Nico. "You know you're pretty obvious when you stare at Percy."

Nico froze, mortified, then cast a glance around to see if anyone heard Jason—but there was no one within earshot. "So what?"

Jason shrugged. "So nothing. If you ask me, you'd be really cute together." Nico could hardly do anything but stare in shock. "Well, I shouldn't play matchmaker. Piper would kill me if she heard me. Just—keep it in mind, okay?"

"I—guess?" Nico wasn't sure what else to say.

Jason chuckled and got up from the couch, joining the girls on the dance floor. But he hadn't dropped the subject, as Nico realized a few hours later.

Night had fallen, the party was drawing to a close, and Nico had gone back to sitting in one of the couch. The whole day had been enjoyable, but it was becoming a little too much for him.

A hand clapped on Nico's shoulder; looking up, he realized it was Percy. "Jason said you wanted to talk to me in private?" he asked, concerned.

"Um—" Nico was confused at first; then, he found Nico in the crowd, who smiled brightly at him and raised both thumbs. _I am going to kill him_. But then again… why not? Jason knew Percy better than Nico did. And after all, he'd decided to enjoy what he had with Percy while it lasted—perhaps it was time to put an end to it. After the previous night, Nico wasn't sure he could take a lot more. Gulping nervously, he managed to say, weakly, "Yeah."

"Okay. Come on, then."

He led the way upstairs, to the storage room. It was mostly empty at the moment, although a few props still lay here, unused for a while if the dust was any indication. Percy closed the door behind them, then turned to Nico. "So, what is it?"

Nico sighed, suddenly incapable to string two words together. It was one thing to decide to take Jason's push, but it was another to actually spit out the words. So he chose another angle of attack. "Did you really pick me as your partner?"

"Yeah, how do you know about that?"

"Why did you act like you didn't know about me, then? On the first day."

Percy shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't want you to think that I'm creepy. Wait, is that really what you wanted to talk about? We could have done that downstairs."

"No, it's just—" Nico's voice died in his throat. Obviously that hadn't been the right way to go.

He could still back down, pretend there was nothing. But he didn't. One last thought went through his mind: _Fuck it_. Then he closed the distance between him and Percy, awkwardly reaching up to grab the back of his neck and pull his face down, and crashing his own lips against the other boy's.

Percy let out a shocked whimper, but his arms wrapped gently around Nico's shoulders, and he didn't move away. However, he didn't exactly kiss Nico back either. As for Nico, he was too shocked by his own sudden boldness, and lacked the experience to know what he should do.

So he just pulled back, embarrassed and unable to look at Percy anymore. "I'm sorry." He took a step backwards, and Percy let him go.

"Nico—"

"Don't say it," Nico said, taking a few quick steps back, and looking away from Percy. "You're straight; of course you're straight. It was just wishful thinking."

"Um…" Percy sounded puzzled, and when Nico managed to look back at him, he saw his gaze was confused. "Not really?"

Silence fell between them, seeming to stretch for an eternity.

"What do you mean, 'not really'?"

"As I said, I really like you. I mean, I— _really_— _like_ you." He detached the words in the last sentence, leaving no room for ambiguity. "It's just… well… you're too young!"

Nico stared at Percy for a good minute before a word finally managed to cross his lips. "What."

"You're only fourteen, Nico. I'd feel like I'm taking advantage of you or something."

Nico's brain finally processed the information. "So you're saying that— that if I had been older— you would have—" Nico's words died in a strangled frustration, at his own inability to find the right words, at the ridicule of the situation. Of all the things that could have gone wrong, his _age_ was the reason Percy rejected him?

"Hey." Percy gently cupped Nico's face with a hand. "I'm sorry. I'm sure it's a huge disappointment. But it wouldn't be right."

Frustration turned to anger, and Nico pulled away. "You know, if it's all just a joke, you could just tell me." He remembered his doubts on the first day; when had they left him? That was what happened when he dared to hope.

"It's not. Believe me, it's not. Just— in a few years, if we're both still single, maybe we can try again?"

"In a few years? We'll never see each other at the end of the _month_! That's the whole _point_!"

Percy's expression darkened with hurt. "Why not? We're friends, aren't we? Did you really think I'd say goodbye and never see you again? We even live in the same city! What sort of guy do you think I am?"

_Friends_. A death sentence would have been just as pleasant to hear. To think that Nico had come to terms with that very same concept barely a few days ago; that he'd been okay with being friends with Percy even just minutes ago. "You shouldn't have told me."

"What?"

"You tell me you like me, but you still don't want me? It would have been easier if you'd just lied." He walked past Nico, towards the door.

Percy caught his arm. "Nico, wait."

"Let me go." His voice hadn't been as calm as he'd wanted, but at least he'd managed not to scream.

Percy obeyed, but it didn't stop him from speaking. "I meant what I said. And— in the meantime, I hope we _can_ still be friends."

Nico paused by the doors. Could they? Being friends with Percy, and with the others, had felt so easy. It was the first time he made real friends. On one hand, he wasn't sure he could stand being anywhere close to Percy anymore. On the other… if he was honest, Percy had given him a much better answer than what Nico had expected. Not only did he accept the boy's attraction, he reciprocated it—at least somewhat.

But all these rational thoughts pained to pass through the haze of heartbreak. So, before he could say anything he regretted, Nico opened the door, and hurried downstairs. He didn't pause there one second, immediately rushing outside, not caring who would notice.


	4. Chapter 4

Nico was tempted to find some place to isolate himself for a while, but the thought that someone would worry—that maybe Percy himself would stay awake until he came back—kept him from it, and he returned to the dorm instead. But as he settled into his own bed, he sorely regretted Camp Half-Blood's complete lack of intimacy.

His brain was still going on overdrive, replaying his memories of the past few minutes. The taste of Percy's lips was still on his, in spite of how brief the kiss had been, and the salt of it felt like a fire against the open wound in Nico's heart.

But that defeat was bittersweet—a strange word to use in a positive light, but it felt extremely appropriate. Percy liked him. _Liked_ him. Liked _him_! Nico wasn't sure which part of the sentence made the least sense to him, and yet, it was true.

Conflicting emotions battled inside of Nico, and he couldn't untangle them. But, when Percy came back in the dorm, along with the other boys, he knew that he couldn't stay mad at him. No matter how much it hurt to be near him, being mad at him, keeping away from him, would be worse.

Percy knelt next to him. "You're still awake?" he asked in a very quiet whisper.

Nico wouldn't have been able to pretend if he'd wanted to. He rolled on his side to face him. "Yeah."

Percy nodded. "Okay. I— Do you—"

"I'm not mad at you, if that's what you want to know."

Percy let out a hushed gasp. "You— all right. Awesome. But—"

"If you want to talk, can we do it some other time?" Nico was fairly sure that least Jason, who occupied the bunk bed right next to theirs with Grover, was listening.

"Okay. But I—"

"Go to sleep, you idiot." Nico chuckled, then turned his back to Percy.

"Right." Percy climbed on his bunk, and silence fell back on the dorm.

Nico doubted that either of them slept much that night, though.

* * *

Breakfast was painfully awkward. Nico had gone with Percy, Jason and Grover, as he always did, but this meant that he still couldn't talk to Percy. He wasn't even sure of what he would tell him when he did, but nothing could be worse than this.

They were soon joined by Reyna and Piper, however, which provided a nice change of pace, and an easy distraction for Nico, whom Reyna took aside to discuss Mythomagic.

"So how come you two never hung out with us before?" Nico asked Reyna in the middle of a discussion of the pros and cons of Hera—which they were both severely biased against. "Aren't Piper and Jason together?"

"Yes. Well, Piper, Jason and me." Nico was completely taken aback by her matter-of-fact admission, but she didn't seem to notice. "But we took a break until yesterday—Piper and I couldn't stand his hissy fit over Percy 'abandoning him'."

"So what changed?"

Reyna stared at him for a short while, eyeing Jason cautiously. "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but I think what changed was that he went from possessively defensive of Percy to shipper frenzy. And when I say 'I think', I mean Piper is absolutely certain of it, and she's the expert."

Shipper frenzy? Nico narrowed his eyes. "What did he tell you?"

"To me? Not much; you boys can do whatever you want as far as I'm concerned. But he told Piper, and Piper loves meddling in romantic affairs. If you need advice on how to ask Percy out, you should ask her."

"Hmm." Nico remained silent, preferring not to share on last night's disaster. Well, semi-disaster. Or whatever he should call it.

Reyna only chuckled at his apparent discomfort. "Or not. I'm not sure you're ready to face the fury of an unleashed Piper. Just do whatever feels right."

Whatever feels right… That would be kissing Percy again. Preferably right now. But he wasn't sure that would be a good idea. Or was it? It was all too confusing.

* * *

"So what're your plans for today, boys?" Piper asked as breakfast came to an end.

"Nothing," Percy replied immediately.

"Well that was very constructive, thank you."

"No, I mean I plan to do nothing. I'm gonna need _some_ rest. Besides, we have the senior party in two weeks, I don't think we really need to make the most of the other weekends with that coming."

Percy had told Nico about the senior party. During the third weekend of the month, the oldest residents were allowed out of camp for the night, as well as some of the younger ones if they managed to convince the camp leaders. Where exactly they would go, or what they would do, Nico had no idea, but Percy had been very excited about it. However, Nico wondered just if bringing it up now was an excuse.

Piper was about to argue, but Jason interrupted her. "I think we could all use some down time."

She glared at him, but eventually shrugged. "Fine. Suit yourself." She rose from the table in one swift movement, and strolled away. After exchanging a worried glance, Jason and Reyna went after her, but Piper just laughed as they caught up, and the three of them left the terrace together.

"So, Nico…" Nico almost jumped when Percy called his name. "Didn't you say you wanted to, um—"

"Right." Nico could have laughed at Percy's inability to find a convincing excuse to get away from Grover, but he was too nervous for that. "I have something to show you." Plain, simple; hopefully Grover would get the hint. But Nico didn't want to find out. "Come on, let's go." He stood up as well, half-dragging a confused Percy behind him.

He led them into the woods, to the first hiding place he remembered Percy showing him.

"Okay. Well, that was direct," Percy said, amused.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Percy sighed. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean, that _we're_ okay?"

"Yes, I told you last night."

"If you have something to say, you should get it out."

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, but—"

"Look, I won't pretend it's not disappointing, but… it's still better than I expected. I can handle a 'no'. I think."

Percy paused, a confused look in his eyes. "Well, what did you expect, then?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't know. Being rejected by everyone. Maybe even worse. Having to leave camp early for my own safety. It happened before." And he hadn't even kissed anyone, those other times—but he kept that detail to himself.

Percy chuckled. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen here. Oh, I'm sure _some_ people wouldn't like it, but not us. You should've known."

"Yeah, I guess I should have. But I learned to hide for survival. It's hard to let it go."

"Hey, I get it. But it's all right now." Percy awkwardly stepped forward, and took Nico in his arms.

Nico couldn't help but chuckle. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You look like you need a hug. So I'm giving you one."

"You are ridiculous." Still, Nico let himself be pulled a little closer, and rested his forehead against Percy's shoulder.

"So… what now?" Nico asked after a moment.

"I'm gonna whip you into a champion, just as planned. We're gonna have the best summer we can, then I'll make sure that we can hang out when we're back in New York. And… then we'll see. Does that sound good?"

"It sounds perfect."


	5. Chapter 5

Following Percy's plan—which he soon admitted to Nico _had_ indeed been made up on the fly so they could talk—most of their Sunday was spent not doing much at all. They hung around, mostly, and the only semi-productive moment of the day was when Percy decided to take him back to the location of the various competition they had been through during the past week, and give Nico some advice on how to be better at them.

There was the climbing wall, of course, and the lake, where they had raced in canoes, as well; he also showed him around the woods some more, where the camp organized a capture-the-flag game. Percy couldn't really teach him much about volleyball on his own; as for the horse races, Nico had had plenty of experience back in Italy, and Percy had nothing to teach him period.

Percy left him after lunch to spend the afternoon with Grover, who was still upset at having been abandoned in the morning. That left Nico at the mercy of Jason, Piper, and Reyna.

"So what exactly happened between you and Percy then?" Jason asked. "It sounded pretty tense last night." Nico stared at him blankly, tempted to tell him that this was none of his business, but he didn't seem deterred by that. "But now you two look okay. What gives?"

"Jason, don't push him," Reyna said, next to Nico. Piper, across from her, remained silent, her attention seemingly focused on her meal.

"Did you tell him you liked him? Did you take my advice?"

"I _knew_ it!" Piper erupted before Nico could answer—or abstain from answering. "Jason Grace, you _idiot_! You actually told this boy to confess?"

"Um—"

"Yeah, he did. And yes, I did tell Percy."

"Really?" Piper turned her attention on him, and her expression grew more thoughtful.

"But that… didn't go over too well," Nico said.

"Obviously. We all saw you leaving the party. But what I want to know is _how_. _In what way_ did it go wrong? How can you still be okay now? Did you back out?"

"No! No, he…" Nico sighed. "Promise that you won't make fun of me, okay?"

Jason nodded excitedly, but Piper cast a glance to Reyna. "Of course we won't," the latter said. "And we won't tell anyone else, either." That last part seemed more addressed to the other two than it was to Nico himself.

"Well, he said he liked me back, but that I'm too young, and he feels it would feel wrong if we—I don't know."

Jason sighed, resting his forehead on one of his head. "Oh, really."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Reyna said.

"Well, Percy's not _entirely_ wrong," Piper interjected. "It probably wouldn't be _too_ healthy. I'm surprised he thought of that."

"Not helping." Reyna and Jason had spoken almost at the same time.

"Sorry. I'm not sure there's much for me _to_ do, though."

"I don't want you to do anything," Nico said. "It's fine. We talked through it, and—"

"And you're going to _wait_ for each other? Because that wouldn't be much better."

"No! We're just being friends for now. And… then we'll see." He had repeated Percy's words, and they still felt as hopeful as before.

Piper eyed him curiously. "Hmm. It's probably the best you could have done, given the circumstances."

"It's a damn shame," Jason said. "You're perfect together."

Piper sighed. "And he wonders why we dumped him for a while."

* * *

Nico took some time to himself during Sunday afternoon, going back into the woods with his console for a few hours. Percy found him there by chance, late in the afternoon, as he had come to practice fencing moves on his own. They didn't talk much, but the simple fact of being accepted in Percy's bubble of intimacy was enough. Being near each other was enough. For now at least.

The second week rolled along, similar to the first, and yet infinitely better. Percy and Nico came back to that clearing in the woods every day, even if they usually only had half an hour of free time at most. The constant competition became easier with Percy's advice, and some help from Jason and Reyna as well.

Even the everyday shower somehow became more bearable. It was still infinitely awkward, but for a different reason: every time he would stare at Percy too long, Jason would inevitably tease him about it. Often as they were still under the shower; and while Jason didn't quite have the same effect on Nico as Percy, he was still a sight to behold. Something he was sure Jason knew very well.

All in all, everything was going well. By the time the second weekend came, and the second 'champions' party', Nico and Percy had risen enough in the ladder to not be forced to take care of setting everything up, giving them the opportunity to lay in bed a little more on Saturday morning, even after the dorm had been emptied.

Percy dropped on the floor next to Nico, a grin covering his face. "Do you mind if I come lie next to you?"

"Um—" Nico was unsure of what to say, taken aback by the question. "Sure, I guess." Friends _did_ that. Right?

Percy almost threw himself on the bed, forcing Nico to scoot to the left to make him some space. The other boy settled on top of the blanket, and just stared silently at the bunk above them.

Eventually, he closed his eyes, and Nico thought he'd fallen back asleep, until he suddenly spoke. "Man, the only thing I hate about this place are Saturday morning. Can't watch cartoons. What a waste."

Nico snickered. "Aren't you a little too old for cartoons?"

He only realized what he'd just brought up when Percy turned to stare at him. His cocky grin vanished for the first time since their reconciliation in the woods, and there was a longing in his eyes. But it was soon gone, and a weak smile reappeared on his face. "You're _never_ too old for cartoons. I'll have to invite you over, when we're back home. You haven't truly lived until you've had my mom's blue pancakes while watching Saturday morning cartoons."

"All right. That's a plan, then."

Percy's smile brightened again. "Perfect."

They were too close, the moment was too intimate, Percy's green eyes too bright, his smile too perfect; Nico couldn't resist it. He leaned forward, shutting down all thoughts and doubts. It wasn't about telling Percy this time; it was only about what Nico wanted. Awkwardness mixed with desire, and instead of just pressing his lips against Percy's, he _kissed_ him, truly kissed him, not caring about whether or not it was the right way to do so, or whether or not there _was_ a right way.

And surprisingly, Percy let him. He let Nico's charge roll him on his back, and one arm wrapped around Nico's waist, securing Nico's body on top of his. Percy parted his lips open, his tongue sneaked its way into Nico's mouth, and a low moan escaped him, vibrating against Nico's skin in a delectable manner. His free hand tangled itself in Nico's hair, then traveled down his spine, and back up again, raising goosebumps wherever it touched.

When the kiss finally ended, Nico felt like he had just gone underwater and broken the surface again. His breath was short, his head was light and dizzy, and he wasn't sure he would have been able to stand properly. But he didn't have to—Percy's arms were right there, anchoring him to the other boy's body. Nico was suddenly very aware of the fact that he only wore a shirt and his boxers, and that Percy wasn't any more clothed than him. But even that was secondary to the fact that he had broken the untold promise between them.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" he let out, rolling off of Percy and hiding his face in his hands.

Percy chuckled. "Are you?" Not caring about Nico's glare, he continued. "Look, it's okay. I didn't exactly stop you, either. It doesn't have to change anything. Let's just say it was a really nice teaser of things to come, okay?"

Nico groaned. "What if I can't wait until 'things to come' do come?"

"We'll see about that then." Percy sat up. "I need a shower now. Preferably a cold one."

That didn't really help with Nico's current embarrassment. And yet, he couldn't help but ask, "Was it really nice?"

Percy turned to smile at him. "The best. I'll see you at the party."

* * *

_The best_. Those words carried him through the party. And it was probably for the best: without the feeling of near-bliss they gave Nico, he doubted he would have been able to look Percy in the eye at the moment.

The day unfolded very similar to the previous Saturday, but this time, Nico knew everyone already, so there was no awkward early moments—he headed straight for his group of friends. There was also no awkward confession to Percy, and no rushing outside.

All in all, the day was good, but it would would have been unremarkable if not for the way it had started. That is, until the party came to a close, and discussions turned to the next week, and the senior party.

"We're going in New York," Piper announced—she was one of the organizers. "I rented a room in a small club in Manhattan. I think there's enough of us who can drive to get everyone there, right?"

"There're twenty seniors this year," another girl—Annabeth? Nico thought her name was Annabeth—said, "and fifteen of us have a license. Even if we count that everyone takes a plus one from the younger residents, it should still be enough drivers, yes."

"But not enough cars," Percy pointed out. "I've got mine, and I know a few others do, but that's only seven or eight."

"It should be enough. We'll rent a few more if we need them," Piper retorted. "It'll be fine. But that's why I want to know who exactly is coming in a couple days at most." She paused dramatically. "Right, you're all dismissed then. Good night," she singsonged, grabbing Reyna by the arm on her way out.

Most of the others scattered as well, but Percy lingered behind with Jason, Thalia and Bianca. Curious, Nico walked up to them.

"—I figured you'd go with Reyna and Piper, right?" Percy said, talking to Jason, who nodded. "So, if you want, I can give Thalia a lift. If you're okay with that, Thalia."

The dark-haired girl chuckled. "Of course, thanks. But— I was going to ask Bianca to come with us, can she come too?"

"Um, sure, I guess. Right now it's just me and Grover. And maybe—" Percy finally noticed Nico standing there. "Oh, Nico, great timing. I wondered if you'd be coming with us to the senior party. I'm sure we can fit the five of us in my car."

Out the corner of his eye, Nico noticed Bianca's uncertain glance, but he merely chuckled. "No, I'll sit this one out. I'm not sure I like the idea of going in a club in New York, anyway."

"Really? Well, if you don't want to, I guess— But are you sure? It's gonna be the best party of the summer!"

"I'm not exactly a party guy, am I?"

There was a hint of disappointment in Percy's eyes, but he shrugged. "All right. Well, then yeah, I can definitely take Bianca with us too," he said, turning back to Thalia.

"Thanks, man," Jason said. "I owe you."

"Nah, we're just even."

* * *

Nico ended up going back to the bungalow with Percy. Jason had walked with them part of the way, then given an excuse to go back. Nico had noticed that he was just following them from behind, but he didn't really care.

"Are you really sure you don't want to come to the senior party?"

"Yes! Do I really look like the type of guy who'll go to a club in New York and—whatever it is you'll do there."

"Probably a lot of things we're too young to do," Percy said, chuckling. "But it's fine. Nothing bad ever really happens, and Piper's a kick-ass organizer."

"If you say so. I'm just not really interested. I'll have the evening to myself, it's not a big deal."

"Right. Well, just checking."

They were silent for a while, and eventually, Nico's thoughts drifted back to the kiss earlier, until he was unable not to bring it up. "So, about this morning…"

Percy stumbled out of surprise, and almost ended up face-planting into the ground. "Yeah?"

"I just… could we do that again sometime?"

Percy chuckled. "Um—I wish I could say no, but I'll go with 'maybe'."

"That's no answer!"

"It's the best I can give you. I won't… initiate anything, but if you take me by surprise again… I can't really say I could always resist."

Nico sighed. "You dork. Shouldn't the older guy be the one who pushes forward?"

"Maybe? But that's creepy, so I don't do that. I'll let you go at your own rhythm. Besides," he smirked, "it's much more fun this way."

Nico wasn't sure he disagreed with that statement. It _was_ a lot of fun this way, strangely enough.


	6. Chapter 6

Warnings for this chapter: Character death, substance abuse, driving under influence

* * *

The second Sunday was, again, spent mostly relaxing. For Nico, at least; most of the seniors were in a frenzy to make plans for the party next week, as it seemed most of the took Piper's threats very seriously. Percy joined him during the early part of the afternoon, in their clearing in the woods, and while Nico had been tempted to 'take him by surprise', as he'd put it, he abstained from it. It was too early—Nico wanted to see how long he could last first.

Eventually, Percy pulled him out of there for a friendly game of volleyball with the usual group. By the end of it, over an hour later, Nico was too tired to think about kissing Percy. He even managed to not to be distracted by Percy while taking a shower.

The next week went by, and this time around, Percy and Nico reached third place of the global ranking, beaten only by the (still undefeated) Clarisse and Silena, as well as Thalia and Bianca. That was probably the best Nico would get; and in the rare moments where he actually cared about the competition, he was glad that Bianca was doing good as well.

Nico finally cracked on Wednesday, at night. He was still having trouble sleeping in the dorm, even after two weeks, and after tossing and turning for over two hours, he figured he could do something else. So he climbed on the top bunk—which, considering his short stature, required him to stand on his own bunk.

He was as silent as possible, but he doubted anyone in the dorm was awake. But the shift of the mattress under Nico's weight woke Percy up before Nico could figure out another way. And before Percy could react, Nico dove on him quickly, hungrily. Percy let out a hushed cry of surprise, muffled mostly by Nico's mouth against his, but he soon responded with a matching enthusiasm.

Percy looked like he was running on autopilot, which could be explained by the fact that he was still half-asleep. He was less gentle than Nico was used to, more commanding; but when he shifted his position to pin Nico against the mattress, Nico wouldn't have complained for anything at all.

With his hands suddenly free, Nico started exploring the shape of Percy's body, running them all over his chest, his back, his neck, the back of his head. But Percy, unlike Nico, knew what he was doing now that he was on top, and his body soon undulated with precise movements, fitting into the curve of Nico's body as if it were made for it.

In a flash of awareness, Nico realized that, once again, they were both in their underwear and t-shirts, but it was soon extinguished as Percy's crotch rubbed against his, replaced by mind-numbing arousal. One of his hands clasped on Percy's ass on its own accord, and Nico let out a moan that, thankfully, was mostly lost in Percy's mouth.

The other boy's movements were expert, and information only reached Nico's brain in glitchy sparks—the feeling of Percy's erection against his through the layers of cloths, how Percy slid a hand under his shirt, the way he kissed him as if his life depended on it. It was more than Nico had ever experienced; way too much, in fact.

The orgasm barely registered at all in the storm of sensory overload, but it was there, clearing up Nico's mind in its aftermath. Percy noticed as well, and finally let go of Nico's mouth.

"Well I should have seen that coming," he whispered against his ear, chuckling softly. But there was no mockery in his voice, or in his eyes—if anything, it was a look of triumph. "Don't worry, I'll finish off on my own."

"I—"

"Go to sleep, Nico." He rolled off of him, leaving him free to go. "I'm serious."

Part of Nico wanted to stay, and maybe even—a sick suggestion from the depths of his subconscious—help him 'finish off', but there was an uncertain expression in Percy's eyes. Almost… shy. So he didn't argue, and regained his own bunk. A small part of him was aware of the oh-so-familiar noises coming from above, but his mind still felt blank, and he fell asleep quickly.

* * *

The next morning was a little awkward for Nico, who wasn't sure what to do, but Percy's warm familiarity soon wiped it all away. Still, the next time Nico kissed him, on Friday, it was just a chaste kiss under the cover of their clearing. Not just because he wasn't sure he was ready to repeat the night's experience, but also because he could have sworn he caught Jason winking at him a good dozen times.

Finally, Saturday came, and with the promise of the senior party, a nervous sense of excitement washed over the Camp Half-Blood, a thrill that seemed to make the air itself vibrate.

Percy, specifically, was just impossible. After spending most of the morning being jittery to the point of annoying even Grover, he had decided to retreat back into the woods for one of his fencing practice. Nico had followed, but he was soon tired as well, as Percy couldn't focus, couldn't stop talking about the evening that was coming, and spent most of his time striking at anything at range, causing a ruckus.

"Will you just shut up and find something to do? You're acting like a hyperactive kid off his meds."

Percy grinned at him. "Maybe you should find a way to shut me up."

Nico groaned. "Not gonna fall for that one. If you want me to kiss you, you wait until I do or you let go of your stupid principles." Percy just laughed and started swinging his practice sword all over the place again. "You know what? I'll go somewhere else. Have fun at your party, I'll see you in the morning."

"Aw, Nico, don't go!" Percy called out.

Nico sighed, but he did pause. "What?"

"I just— I got a call from my mom earlier today. I got accepted into college." His proud grin was adorable.

"I didn't even know you were going to college," Nico let out. "Okay, so what?"

"So, I'll be staying on my own next year. I found a small apartment. To be honest, I wouldn't have minded staying with my mom and my stepdad for a few more years, but I thought it would be better this way. So I don't bother her, y'know?"

"Is this going anywhere?"

"Right. Yes, it is. Can you hand me your phone? So I can write down the address and be sure you won't lose it."

Nico chuckled as he complied. "Don't you think I would try to remember?"

"You're never too careful. Here you go. And I'm sorry if I'm being a little overexcited."

"Yeah, right. You're not sorry at all," Nico said, smiling. "As I said, I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

Nico found Jason hanging at the terrace, apparently alone. "Trouble in paradise?" he called out when he saw Nico.

"You're funny. You've seen Percy this morning. He only got worse."

"I'm sure you could have figured out a way to tire him out," Jason said, raising an eyebrow. Under Nico's glare, he laughed. "Okay, I overstepped the line. Are you gonna down, or…?"

"I don't know. Do you think any of the camp leaders will come here?" he asked, holding out his console. He had managed not to get caught with it so far; it would be a shame if he did now.

"I'll warn you if they do. Come on. We never get to talk."

"Because you always try to suggest things I should do with Percy." But Nico complied anyway, and turned the game back on.

"I've come to realize you didn't need my suggestions." Faced with silence, Jason elaborated, "Come on. Climbing on his bunk, that wasn't very subtle of you."

"Do you live to spy on us?"

"Only when I have nothing better to do." Jason chuckled. "I should tone it down, shouldn't I?"

"That would be nice."

"I'll do my best." There was a moment of silence. "Is that what you're going to do tonight? Don't you grow bored of it?"

"Says the guy who was sitting at the terrace doing nothing."

Jason chuckled again. "Fair point. What're you going to do next year, though?"

Nico raised his eyes from the game. "Next year?"

"We'll be gone. Okay, some of us might stay and become leaders for a few years, but we won't be able to hang around as much. So what'll you do then?"

Nico lowered his eyes again. "I didn't plan that far ahead. I didn't even want to come here in the first place. Maybe I won't come back."

"Really? That'd be sad. I'm sure you could make other friends."

"Obviously you overestimate my ability to make friends. If it weren't for Percy, I would have spent the month alone."

Jason's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and a grin half-formed on his face, but he remained silent. "If you say so. But didn't you enjoy yourself?"

Nico paused before answering. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Then maybe you _should_ come back!"

Nico chuckled. "Why do you care?"

"Just—give it a thought, okay?"

"Will you leave me alone if I say yes?" Nico chuckled as he said the words. "Yeah, I guess I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask. Well, I should find my dear girlfriends and tell them alone time is over. See you after the party, Nico."

"Right. See you then."

* * *

The camp was very quiet that night. About a third of the residents had gone, barely fitting in the available cars, and the others had scattered all across the vast grounds.

Nico himself had gone back to the pavilion. With no one in there, the place almost felt too large, but he was technically the only one allowed in there who hadn't gone to the senior party, and that pretty much guaranteed he'd be left alone.

After nearly three weeks of almost nonstop agitation, this was a nice change of pace. Even when he found refuge in the woods, Nico had almost always been with Percy, at least. He'd almost forgotten how much he _liked_ being alone. He'd always had plenty of space to himself at home, back in Italy, and even in New York, for the few months he'd lived there. It wasn't even about being alone so he could do whatever he wanted; the stillness was relaxing in and of itself.

That atmosphere, combined with the constant activity of the past few weeks, led Nico to bed early that night. The dorm was still empty—most of the residents were still out—and Nico fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

"Nico? Come on, Nico, get up."

A voice woke him up, and he barely felt like he'd slept at all. The dorm was still plunged in darkness, and when Nico looked around, a lot of the beds were still empty. It couldn't be very late at night.

He focused on the one who had woken him: Jason. His voice had been full of alarm, and his face was overtaken by sheer panic.

"What's going on?" Nico muttered, half asleep.

"You— you should come with me."

Nico frowned. "Do I have time to put on some pants first, or—?"

Jason blinked a few times, visibly confused. "Yeah. Sure."

They left the dorm, and headed straight for the terrace. Only one light was lit there; Piper was sitting at one of the tables, but she was alone.

"Any news?" Jason called out.

"No. Reyna still hasn't come back, either."

"All right, I'll—"

"What's going on?" Nico asked. He checked his watch—one in the morning. They shouldn't be here so early; especially not Piper, who had organized the party. It didn't make sense to see them here.

"Things went… out of control at the senior party," Piper said. "Someone called the cops on us. Nobody got caught, but we were forced to leave earlier than planned. So we figured we'd just end the night here, and drove back to Camp Half-Blood. But—" Her voice was broken by a sob, and Nico suddenly realized she was crying—in the dim light, he hadn't noticed before. "Nico, I'm so sorry!"

"Wh—what happened?" He wished his voice hadn't been so high-pitched, that it had been stronger, but he couldn't help it. Piper's tears and Jason's panicked attitude were both contagious.

"There was—look, we weren't planning on going home for a few hours, so we figured the drivers could be allowed to drink a _little_ in the early evening if they wanted to. But with the cops busting us out…"

Jason finished her sentence for her. "Percy had an accident on the way back."

"Percy? Is he—"

"He's fine. He got lucky. But the others in his car…"

Understanding dawned on Nico, like a light that was suddenly turned on while he was asleep. Blinding, painful, and all he wanted to do was ignore it. "Bianca."

Jason nodded slowly. "Annabeth stayed behind with a few others to help, and we came back as soon as we could to get the camp leaders… and you."

"How is she?"

"I don't know, we left too quickly, but—"

"_How is she_?" Nico had yelled, startling both Jason and Piper.

"We don't know," Piper said. "But it didn't look good."

"Oh my God." Nico lost his balance, nearly collapsing to the ground, but Jason caught him, and helped him sit. "Oh my—"

"Nico." Jason was trying his best to keep his voice calm, but it only worked in comparison to the maelstrom inside of Nico. "It's okay. We'll just wait until someone calls, or comes back, so we can find out more. But—maybe we should warn your parents already?"

"My mom," Nico replied automatically. His dad had been out of the picture for… well, forever. "I—can you do it for me?" he asked, handing out his cellphone to Jason.

"I'll take care of it," Piper said. "It's my party. My responsibilities." She had managed to stop crying, but she didn't look exactly good either. She grabbed Nico's phone and walked away, out of the circle of light on the terrace.

"Are you—okay?" Jason asked. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't know. Tell Hazel, maybe?" She was Bianca's cousin as much as his, and the two had been close, from what Nico could tell.

"Already taken care of," Reyna's voice said as she joined them. She sat down next to Nico, and silently wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "She's with a friend of hers. I think I killed the mood, but she decided to stay with him."

"Did you find anyone?" Jason asked

"Yeah. All the leaders are probably up by now. And none of them know what to do. Except for Fred—he called the managers."

"How thoughtful of him."

"I don't care about them," Nico said. "I want to know how she is." Not knowing was the worst—he had been told about the accident for five minutes at most, and he already felt a mixture of curiosity and dread digging its way inside of Nico's stomach.

"Do you think we should go back there with you?" Jason asked.

"No," Reyna said before Nico could decide on an answer. "You're in no state to drive, Jason. Let's not tempt fate. Annabeth has her phone; she'll—"

Jason's phone rang as she spoke. "It's her," he said solemnly, taking the call. He barely spoke at all, only listening to the other end with a blank expression. He didn't even need to speak; Nico already knew before he hung up. "Nico— I'm so sorry."

Nico crumbled in tears, falling into Jason's arms. Reyna slid closer, as if she and Jason could form a barrier around Nico, but it was pointless. Nothing could comfort him.

* * *

Nico couldn't sleep that night, and no one tried to make him. He remained with Jason, Piper and Reyna at the terrace all night long, unable to talk, to stand, to even _think_.

The first lights of dawn were tingeing the sky in deep blue, purple, and pink, when someone finally came. Percy and Grover.

"What are you doing here?" Reyna asked. She wasn't exactly hostile, but this was no more a pleasant surprise to her than it was to Nico.

"Annabeth said we should go," Grover said. "She and Thalia went with the paramedics."

As soon as he saw them, Jason sprung from his seat and erupted. "You. It's your fault!" His anger was directed straight at Grover, strangely enough. "Just like two years ago; you couldn't help yourself, could you? What did you give him _this_ time?"

"Jason, stop." Percy's voice was as empty as Nico felt, but it had no right to be. Percy had no right to feel anything like Nico right now. "Leave Grover alone. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

"I'll blame whoever I want!"

"No," Nico said. "_I_ will." He left the table and walked up to Jason. As soon as he stopped next to him, Jason's hand was on his shoulder, keeping him stable—he was grateful for that. "And I do blame you," he said, looking straight at Percy, making him flinch. He wasn't sure what Jason had been accusing Grover of exactly—although he could guess—but it didn't matter. Grover hadn't been behind the wheel of the car; he hadn't decided that running away from the police while drunk was more important than the lives of the people in his car. Percy had done all of that.

His green eyes were filled with sorrow, and guilt, and pain, but he was not surprised. "I'm sorry, Nico. I'm so sorry—"

"Well, that makes it _all better_ then! Doesn't it?"

"You're angry at me, and you should. I fucked up. I fucked up so bad."

Nico considered him silently. There was anger inside, waiting to be unleashed, but Nico couldn't find the words. It was _beyond_ words. "Shut up. Just shut up. I don't— I can't—" He couldn't even cry; there were no tears left inside. "I'm leaving this place." He started towards the bungalows, past the two boys, and Jason followed him.

"Nico, wait—"

Nico paused and turned halfway back. "Don't talk to me. Ever. Again."

"But I—"

"Shut up! You killed my sister! There's nothing you can say!" He paused, forcing himself to breathe; it was like he was about to explode. "I _hate_ you." He ran away, unable to take one more moment spent anywhere near Percy Jackson.

Less than an hour later, his mother's car took him away from Camp Half-Blood forever.


	7. Chapter 7

Things never came back to normal in the di Angelo household. It was just Nico and his mother now, and neither could truly move on from Bianca's loss.

After two months where she would randomly stay at home some days, or come home in the middle of the day, Maria di Angelo quit her job altogether—although Nico gathered that she had been forced to. When Nico warned her stepsister Marie, she forced her to see a doctor, and Maria had been on antidepressants ever since. But four months later, she was still hardly on the way to recovery.

Nico had started high school, and had faded back into his routine of loneliness. Fitting in was never easy, but he hadn't even tried this time. Half of the school year was gone now, and he still barely talked to anyone at school; but at least no one knew. It was easier to handle his sister's death if no one ever brought her up.

And while he couldn't blame his mother for it, her emotional collapse meant that Nico got no support from her. And by way of consequence, from _anyone_. Marie and Hazel Levesque were in New Orleans, Jason in California. Nico just didn't know how to handle it.

Jason was the only one form Camp Half Blood Nico was still in contact with. He, Piper and Reyna lived in California, all the way across the continent; a few Skype conversations weren't exactly the same thing as a friendship. And every time they did talk, Nico felt like the ghost of Bianca was here, even though Jason never mentioned her directly.

When winter came in New York, the best Nico had managed was an empty, numb feeling which followed him wherever he went. It was the first time he had a snowy winter in many years, since those were rare in Italy, but he couldn't enjoy it, because all he thought about was how Bianca had always been the one to pull him outside to play. The holiday cheer never reached their apartment, or Nico's mind.

The turn of the new year changed everything. For some reason Nico had never completely understood, it had always been Bianca's favorite holiday, and she'd always made a big deal of the New Year's Eve celebration. She was always ready months in advance, getting a present for Nico. Not a toy, like she would give him on Christmas when he was younger, or anything functional; it was always a symbolic gesture more than anything. Something she wanted Nico to keep in mind for the year to come.

As it turned out, Bianca had gotten one for Nico before she passed away. It came in the mail, sent from Long Island early in July—from Camp Half-Blood. A small envelope, and inside, a picture. Nico didn't recognize it: it was just a couple of boys, photographed from behind as they held hands and walked down a nameless street. On the back, Nico found a single, short sentence, written in Italian in Bianca's ornate handwriting. "_We'll get you a boyfriend; you'll see._"

Tears ran uncontrollably down Nico's cheeks when the meaning of the picture hit him. He had never even come out to Bianca, but of course she knew. And yet, even while he was crying, a smile formed on his face. It was her last words to him, and it held an underlying message of acceptance. A wish for happiness. Maybe he needed that. Maybe he owed Bianca to live.

His life didn't change overnight; it was more subtle than that. He started talking again, even to unknown students at school. He didn't really make friends with them, but it was a start. He could laugh again, enjoy himself again—while playing his games, at school, and once, by going outside to play in the snow. He wasn't an expert at building snowmen like Bianca had been, but he was sure she would have been proud of him for the effort. A few other kids started a snowball fight, and invited Nico to join. And for once, he accepted.

The only dark spot was Maria. He tried to talk to his mother, to help her too, like Bianca had unwittingly helped him, but he couldn't seem to reach out to her. She was hermetic to anything he had to say, and it was painful, and infuriating, too.

It culminated at the end of the month. Nico came home from school to find his mother still in bed—something that happened less often recently, but on a regular basis nonetheless.

He creaked her bedroom door open. "Mom? I'm home." No answer. "I thought—maybe we could go out for dinner tonight?" A vain hope, he knew, but he wasn't sure what else to do. Getting his mother outside felt like the best course of action.

"Let me sleep," her voice came weak and hushed.

"But mom— It's my birthday."

Maria's groan was all the answer Nico needed. A mixture of disappointment and guilt settled in within his gut, but before he closed the door, she chuckled. "And you think I care?"

"I—what?"

"Oh, it's _Nico's_ birthday! How _important_, let me get all prettied up!" Another fit of cackling laughter. "Let's celebrate that my little fag of a son gets to live on and his sister can't!"

The slur hurt—of course it did—but Nico had expected it. Maria had been the first to know, the first to reject him for it. What hurt the most, though, was the mention of Bianca. "Mom, I—"

"_'Mom, I'_ what? 'I'm sorry I took my sister's life'?"

"I wasn't even there!"

"So you say. And yet they called me from you cellphone, _didn't they_?"

"That was a few who'd gone back at the camp—"

"Right, excuses. Always excuses. No, we're not celebrating your birthday. Because it's not worth celebrating. Not get out of my room and let me sleep."

Through a haze of shock and pain, Nico didn't know what to do anymore. So he just did what she told him to. When he reached the living room, he noticed his cheeks were wet with tears he hadn't realized he was shedding, and that his breathing was short—but with anger.

This was not fair. Nico had gone through months on his own because he had respected his mother's grief, but he couldn't take being called responsible of his sister's death. He couldn't, because, the moment he let his mother say that, he might very well start believing it himself. He was barely on the way up thanks to Bianca's message; he wouldn't let his mom get him back down.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he was out on the street, with the backpack he carried to school on his shoulders. The cold winter air helped soothe his anger, but he didn't want to go back inside. He couldn't—not yet. He wasn't able to forgive Maria's words just yet, no matter if they had been influenced by her state of mind.

He walked aimlessly for a few minutes, before the cold broke through his dark thoughts. Planning not to go back home was not exactly going to work if he had nowhere else to go. And Nico didn't really know anyone in New York. He had started making a few acquaintances at school, but he didn't know any of their addresses—and they were hardly close enough that Nico could ask them to shelter him.

There was one other person. Someone Nico didn't want to deal with at all; especially not now. But it was still preferable to going back to his mother.

Percy's address was still in Nico's phone; Nico had never bothered to delete his contact information. It was nowhere near Nico's, but the subway had a direct line heading there.

The address was that of a small apartment building; not particularly fancy, but it didn't look too bad either. The entrance hall wasn't locked; Nico made his way up to the third floor, and rang the doorbell, suddenly realizing that Percy might very well not be home. Or might tell him to leave. Or…

A list of disasters formed in Nico's mind, but it was all blown away when the door finally opened.

Percy hadn't changed much in the past six months, but Nico immediately noticed the differences. Gone were the flashy t-shirt of Camp Half-Blood and the light shorts; he was wearing black sweatpants and a tight, blue hoodie. His hair was longer and even more unruly than before, and his cheeks and neck were covered in dark stubble. For a brief moment, his green eyes carried a bleak expression, so similar to the one he'd worn the last time Nico had seen him; but it was gone as soon as he recognized him, and his eyes widened.

"Nico?" That was all Percy said—he stood there, gaping at Nico.

"Hi." Nico suddenly realized he could at least have thought of something to say. "Can I— can I come in?"

He had expected a refusal, but Percy nodded immediately. "Yeah. Of course." He stepped aside, and suddenly Nico felt a pang of hesitation; yet, he couldn't turn back now. So he walked inside, followed by Percy.

Nico wasn't sure what he'd expected, but the place looked… kind of nice, really. It was small, but much tidier than Nico had expected, although there were a few things lying around where they shouldn't be. The furniture looked fairly recent—probably bought when Percy had moved in—and Percy's sense of decoration seemed to revolve only around the color blue, but aside from that, it looked okay.

"So—do you wanna sit down, or…?" Nico started at the sound of Percy's voice. For a moment, he'd nearly forgotten what he was doing here. "Maybe you want a drink? I pretty much only have water or hot chocolate in here, but—"

"Hot chocolate's fine."

"Okay. Just—make yourself at home, okay? I'll be right back." Percy sounded much more nervous than Nico had expected; much more nervous than he felt himself, oddly enough.

Percy came back a couple minutes later with two fuming mugs, and sat down on the couch across from Nico, setting the mugs on the coffee table between them. "So… what's going on?" His voice was serious—too serious. It didn't suit him.

Nico didn't even know where to start. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell Percy about his mother; he wasn't sure he wanted to talk about her at all. He clasped his hands around his mug, enjoying the burn against his cold skin. "I need a place to stay for a while. I didn't know where else to go." Noticing Percy's stunned expression, he added quickly, "You don't have to take me in; just tell me where I could go. That's all I ask."

"No, I— you— you can totally stay here. If you want. Nico, what is it?" His eyes began to scan him; for what exactly, Nico wasn't sure, but he could guess. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Should I—"

"I'm fine." Percy's rambling wasn't helping. The sound of his voice was a reminder of three perfect weeks of summer, which ended in tragedy. "I— I ran away from home. But aside from that, I'm fine."

"Okay. Well, as I said, you can stay here if you want to. I don't mind, I can sleep on the couch. I already have." He chuckled. "The bed's barely used, actually."

The comment was said in a light tone, almost as a joke, but it rang false. This time, Nico was the one scanning Percy. He couldn't claim he knew him well, but there was something off about him. The stubble, the look in his eye… and his hoodie didn't hide the fact that Percy had lost weight underneath. "Are _you_ all right?" he found himself asking.

Percy stared at him in surprise. "Me? Oh, yeah, it's just— college is stressful, and all that…" More obvious lies, and Nico's gaze was unflinching. Under it, Percy backed down against his couch. "Look, I— I know you're the last person I should tell this, but I can't— I don't—" He sighed. "Ever since the accident, I— it's like I've lost control of my life as a whole."

"You're right. You shouldn't tell me this." But there was no anger inside of Nico, nor in his voice. He could read Percy's expression, find an emptiness that reflected the one he'd felt for all these months. "But… I understand."

"No. I don't think you do, Nico, and I never got to explain myself."

He paused, and Nico realized he was expecting his approval to continue. So he just nodded. He wasn't sure he was ready to take whatever was coming. But he had come for Percy's help, and Percy had offered more than he expected; the least he could do was listen.

"Okay. The thing is, it happened before. You probably gathered most of this already, but two years ago, me and Grover were invited to the senior party at the time. And Grover… well, he put something in my drink. Please, don't— don't say anything about him. What matters is, he did, and I took the wheel. That time there was no one in the car, and my mom managed to get the insurance to pay it back somehow, so I got away fine."

"And it happened again this time."

Percy nodded. "Yeah. But this time, I noticed. I should have sit it out, but I thought it would be fine. I thought it would be more important to escape on time, with the police coming, and— well, you know the rest."

Nico remained silent for a while. "So your point is: I shouldn't blame Grover because you knew."

"Yeah. Grover… has his own issues to work through."

"And you've been the victim of those issues. Don't you think twice is enough?"

"Well, we— we haven't really been in touch since then. For what it's worth."

"It doesn't really matter, actually."

"No, I guess not." Percy sighed. "Look, all I mean to say is: this is _my_ fault. I fucked up. And I'm sorry, even though I know it's not going to make a difference to you."

Nico paused. "But what does it have to do with how you are now? You look terrible, Percy."

"I just— It's not easy every day. I can barely sleep unless I collapse from exhaustion watching TV. I managed to go to most of my classes so far, but that's about all I've done. If my mom wasn't helping with my rent, I'd probably be out of here already." He smirked bitterly. "Look, I'm not trying to make it look like I'm the one who has it the worst, but—"

"I know. It's okay."

Percy smiled weakly, and checked a clock on a wall, behind Nico. "So, how about dinner? It's on me, but I'll let you choose."

Nico chuckled. "It's going to sound lame, but do you know anywhere we can order Italian?"

* * *

Half an hour later, they gathered at the table around takeout boxes—Nico had picked a whole assortment of several dishes they could share— and two cans of soda. They didn't speak much while eating, but it wasn't an awkward silence like there had been when Percy had first let Nico inside anymore. It wasn't quite comfortable either; it was somewhere in between. It felt like they were the two sole survivors of a tragedy, the only ones who understood each other and could live on. Which, in way, was accurate.

After they were done eating, Percy disappeared to the bedroom for a minute, before coming back, hiding something in his hand. He sat back down at the table, and laid it in front of Nico. "I know it isn't much, but… happy birthday." It was a small, painted Mythomagic figurine—one of the Amazons.

Nico chuckled. "You knew it was my birthday?"

"Yeah, I— it's in my phone. To be honest, waking up to that alert was kind of a shock. And then you showed up, so— anyway, I wish I could have gotten something better, but that's all I had at this hour."

"Where did you even get that?"

Percy shrugged. "I don't even know. Reyna probably left it in my stuff at home, and it ended up coming here with me when I moved."

Something about his blunt honesty reminded Nico of how endearing Percy could be. "Thank you."

"So… do you still play? Because this is a really stupid present otherwise."

"Yeah, sort of. I stopped for a while, but I started over recently."

"Okay. Good. So, um— now what?"

"I don't know. I didn't exactly plan anything, in case you didn't notice."

"It's getting late. Don't you have school tomorrow?"

Nico groaned. "That was the last thing on my mind right now."

"Right. Well, you should probably go to bed. I mean, I'm not gonna force a bedtime on you, it's just—"

Nico chuckled. "No, you're right. Sleep sounds like a good idea right about now." He got up, taking the figurine on the table and stuffing it in his backpack.

"Okay. As I said, you can use the bedroom. It's right here," he said, standing by the only door—as if Nico couldn't guess. "And you can borrow some of my clothes if you want." He eyed Nico quickly. "You've grown taller, but I'm pretty sure they still won't fit you. But you can at least sleep in them."

Something about Percy commenting his height made Nico flustered, but he managed to hide it. "Right. Thanks." He hadn't thought about clothes when leaving. "And, well— goodnight."

"Yeah. Goodnight."

Nico closed the bedroom door, and looked through the drawers until he found a black t-shirt. He didn't need much more, so he just got undressed, and put it on. Immediately, the scent of Percy invaded him, salty and familiar. And in spite of everything, he couldn't help but find that comforting.

He shoved himself under the heavy blankets of Percy's bed, trying to fall asleep, but it wasn't easy. Not with the memory of his mother's lashing out. Not with Bianca's ghost, most present than ever; he hadn't talked this much about her since her death.

There was a bluish light filtering under the door, and the soft sound of a television at a low volume. Nico felt a small pang of guilt at the thought of forcing Percy out of his bedroom, and another at the thought that Percy would have probably still stayed up even without Nico. He couldn't help but feel sorry for him, even though, by all accounts, he _shouldn't_.

Worst of all, that light, those sounds—those indications that Percy was right outside the door—had a similarly comforting effort to the scent that was now all around him, on the shirt, the pillow, in the bedding itself. But it was also exactly what he needed, and Nico soon drifted off.


	8. Chapter 8

"Nico? Nico, wake up!"

Percy's voice barely reached Nico's conscience, moments before the blanket above him was pulled away, and the chill in the air painfully finished the job of waking him up.

"What the—" He made an attempt to grab the blanket and pull it back over him, if only to cover himself, but in vain.

"Oh, sorry."

"Whatever." Percy had already had plenty of opportunities to see him wearing a t-shirt and underwear. Although he also supposed that, as Percy had noted the night before, he had grown up since then; his body had changed, and he was suddenly very aware of how tight his briefs were compared to the boxers he used to wear. "What's going on?"

"Dude, it's almost seven thirty. I don't know where you go to school, but I'm pretty sure you should be up by now."

"What?" The familiar panic of being late to school flooded in Nico's mind, and he checked his phone. He probably hadn't heard the alarm, because it was turned on. "Oh, shit." He jumped out of bed, already calculating how long getting to school would take with the extra subway ride. "Okay, it's fine, I can skip breakfast. Can I just take a shower?"

"Um— yeah, of course. My mom forced me to buy everything double just in case, so I've got everything you need. Come on."

From the bedroom, another door led to the diminutive bathroom. Percy got out a towel, gave him a quick rundown of how the shower worked, then hurried out.

Ten minutes later, Nico was back in the bedroom, looking for his own clothes, haphazardly thrown around the night before. Once he was dressed, he headed back to the living room.

He couldn't see Percy—he was probably in the kitchen—so he just called out. "All right, thanks for everything, but I gotta go now."

"Hold on." Percy appeared, wearing sneakers and a jacket on top of the same clothes from the night before. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Um— why?"

Percy shrugged. "Company. Besides I'd feel better not letting you out in the city by yourself."

As if Nico wasn't used to being out in the city by himself. But there was no time to argue. "Sure, whatever. Let's go, then."

They ran to the subway station, just in time to catch a train. Once they were on board, Percy started to look through his pockets.

"What, did you forget your keys?" Nico asked, not exactly willing to mock him but still amused at the thought.

"Nah, of course not. See?" He pulled out a set of keys from his back pocket. "I just wondered—are you coming back tonight?"

Nico paused. "I don't know. I didn't really think about it, but—"

"Because it looked like you might need it. And I'd like you to. I mean, if you want to stay with me for a while… I'd like you to."

"I— I don't really know."

"Well, when you do know…" Percy detached one of the keys from the ring, and handed it to Nico. "There you go. It's my duplicate."

"Um, I don't think that's such a good idea—"

"I don't need it. Look, there's no pressure: if you don't want to stay with me, I understand. But if you do… that way you don't have to worry about anything."

* * *

The thought of going back to Percy's apartment taunted Nico all day, teasing, infuriating and enticing all at once. That he was still attracted to him was hardly a surprise at all—there were things that circumstances could probably never erase—but it was only part of it. He didn't remember the last time he'd had such a simple, yet pleasant evening at home as he'd had the night before with Percy. The only thing he was sure of is that it had been before going to Camp Half-Blood.

When he came home from school, his mom was up, huddled in the living room of their apartment, reading a book.

"Well if it isn't the little abomination," she said, not even looking away from her book.

Nico froze at her words. So last night would not be a singular occurrence. "Hi mom."

"_'Hi mom'_. Is your voice really high-pitched or are you _trying_ to sound like your sister?"

Nico wouldn't let her drag him into a repeat of the day before. He rushed to his bedroom, taking out the same bag he'd brought to Camp Half-Blood and stuffing it with clothes taken mostly at random. Percy's key was still secure in his pocket, along with his own; he slung the heavy bag over one shoulder, picked his school backpack on the other, and headed back out.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to spend some time at a friend's place."

Maria paused. "Right. A _friend_." She chuckled at the way Nico froze and blushed. "Well, what do I care? At least I won't have to suffer your presence. Have fun. Use protection. Wouldn't want you to catch something; then I'd have to deal with it."

Nico scoffed, but he was done listening to her. "Bye, mom."

* * *

Nico held back tears all the way to Percy's apartment, but when he entered it and stumbled upon the boy, he couldn't anymore. His bags dropped to the floor, and his tears ran free. Almost immediately, Percy was there, his arms encircling Nico and pulling him closer. Nico didn't resist, and rested his head against Percy's shoulder, half surprised to notice that was he was a little too tall for that now.

Percy didn't say anything, didn't ask, and Nico didn't offer an explanation; they just stood there for a minute until Nico had control over his own emotions once again.

"You're back," Percy said simply once Nico stepped away.

"You're sweaty."

Percy chuckled. "Yeah. I've gone back to fencing class. It'd been a while. I just got home, haven't had time to shower."

Nico eyed him up, suddenly realizing the change that had operated since they'd parted in the morning. Percy had shaved, his shirt was drenched with sweat; he wore jeans instead of sweatpants. Maybe it was just an impression, but he looked better already; even his expression was brighter. "Did you try to look good for me?" he asked, teasing.

"What if I did?" A wink followed the answer. "I really need that shower. Make yourself at home, we'll take care of unpacking later. We've got all weekend for that." Percy vanished through the bedroom door before Nico could answer.

The weekend. Another information that had completely slipped from Nico's mind, with all that was already going on. It was probably for the best: at least he'd have some time to adapt.

Nico poured himself a glass of water and collapsed on a couch. He was tempted to grab the console in his backpack, but he wasn't entirely sure it would be really polite, so he waited. Percy emerged a few minutes later, wearing the same jeans but a clean shirt, barefoot, and his hair still wet. He plopped down on the couch next to Nico, turning on the television—almost reflexively. He then muted it, and turned to look at Nico.

"I take it you plan to stay for a while?"

"Yeah. I mean, if your offer still stands."

"Of course it does. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Nico blinked. "About what?"

"About—" Percy shrugged. "Whatever it is that brought you here."

"Oh. No, not really."

"Okay. Whatever you prefer. But if you ever want to, you can, okay?" Noticing that Percy was actually expecting an answer, Nico nodded sharply. "All right. Do you mind if I…?" he nodded at the television. When Nico shook his head, he turned the sound back on.

He watched some kind of game show where the contestants had to go through an obstacle course; it took Nico all of two minutes to lose interest and turn his console on, settling more comfortably on the couch. As he did, he brushed up against Percy, but if the other boy minded, he didn't say it, and Nico leaned in slightly closer, pressing their shoulders together. It wasn't much, but the warmth was comforting.

* * *

Percy ordered pizza for dinner that night, and finally stopped watching one game show after the next to challenge Nico to one of his own games as they ate. Nico was not fond of shooter games, but he did his best, and Percy soon decided to have mercy on him and team up against other people online instead.

They were quickly swept away by the game, finding a sense of familiarity that Nico had thought was lost forever. It was the strangest thing: Nico wasn't sure that he'd forgiven Percy yet, but he couldn't deny that being with him, being friends with him, was… _easy_. Natural, even. And that was before he even considered his rushing heartbeat every time they touched, the moments when his gaze got caught on Percy's frame for too long, or the pleasant ache in his stomach that was now nearly omnipresent.

They only stopped playing when Nico couldn't fight sleepiness off anymore. Percy insisted once again that Nico should have the bedroom to him, but Nico refused, this time.

"It's _your_ place. It wouldn't be right that I take your bedroom from you."

Percy opened his mouth to argue, then changed his mind and shrugged. Moments later, he brought a blanket and some pillows out of his room. "Um…" he shifted uncomfortably, "I guess I'll give you some privacy if you want to change."

Nico chuckled. "No, it's fine. You've seen me naked before, remember?" He wasn't sure where the sudden confidence came from, but a grin formed on his lips when he noticed a blush creeping up Percy's neck and reaching his cheeks.

In spite of Nico's reassurance, Percy vanished into the bedroom at the first opportunity. Shrugging, Nico settled on the couch, and sleep soon caught him.

He was woken up not long afterwards, however, when Percy crept back outside of the bedroom. "Sorry," he whispered when he noticed Nico stirring. "Didn't mean to wake you up."

"'S all right. What is it?"

Percy collapsed on the other couch. "Nothing. The usual. Couldn't sleep."

"Do you need to watch TV again?" If it was his way of coping, it wouldn't be right of Nico to stop him from doing so.

"Um. I mean, yeah? If you don't mind."

Nico sighed. "Sure, go ahead."

He did, turning on the television at the lowest possible volume. Nico soon found himself drifting off again, not quite sleeping, but not conscious enough to register what Percy was watching either. Not until a louder sound came from the television—an explosion in whatever drama was playing.

Startled awake, Nico glanced at Percy, and found him sound asleep, awkwardly draped on the couch, one leg and arm dangling to the floor. In the bluish light of the television, Nico saw the peaceful look on Percy's face, one that he hadn't seen since first coming to the apartment the day before. He almost looked like a ghost of the boy Nico had first met last summer.

Just then, Percy stirred, hugging himself against the cold—he hadn't bothered to get dressed after leaving his bed, apparently—but not waking up. Chuckling to himself, Nico went into the bedroom and took the blanket from the bed there, settling it on Percy. A small smile formed on the other boy's lips as he shuffled under the blanket, and Nico unconsciously smiled in return.

He went back to the other couch, back to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Nico was woken up at sunrise; they hadn't thought to close the curtains last night, the sunlight flooded in right on his face. He glanced at the other couch, where Percy was still snoring softly, a small grin on his sleeping face. It would be a shame to let him be woken up as well; Nico hurried to the windows and drew the curtains, plunging the room in the dark.

There was a chill in the apartment's air, particularly unpleasant considering that Nico had just woken up and was not wearing any pants. He quickly returned to his couch, and lay back, drifting off to a state of semi-consciousness, waiting until his body decided whether he should wake up completely or fall back to sleep.

The latter won out, and Nico was woken up again by the smell of something cooking. Curious, he emerged from his blanket, but his momentum was broken by the cold. He found his abandoned bag still in the entrance hall, and put on a pair of sweatpants. It wasn't much, but it would do for now.

He then headed to the kitchen. There, he found Percy, who had apparently not bothered with clothes yet, and was busy at the stove in the same pair of dark blue briefs as the night before.

"Hey," Nico let out flatly, his mind distracted by the sight in front of him, his mouth suddenly dry, and his eyes wandering over Percy's frame.

At the sound of Nico's voice, he turned around. "Good morning," he singsonged with utter glee. "I hope you're hungry."

"What're you making?" Nico walked forward to look over Percy's shoulder at the pans in front of him. The fact that it conveniently put him right behind Percy, his shirt inches away from bare skin, was a complete coincidence. Or at least, so he would have claimed if he was ever asked.

"Pancakes. I promised you, remember? A Saturday morning with my mom's pancakes and cartoons." That promise might as well have been made in another life, but Nico remembered. "Well, of course, I don't live at her place anymore, so you'll only get her recipe. But I have years of practice, don't worry."

"Why is it… blue?" Nico was not an expert on pancakes, but he doubted that was normal.

"Oh, it's just food dye. It's part of the recipe."

"Right," Nico said, dubious, as he leaned against the fridge to his right.

Percy shrugged. "I like blue, okay?" He looked positively flustered.

A shiver ran across Nico's skin as he watched Percy work. "Aren't you cold?" he asked. He didn't get how Percy could stand the chill in his underwear.

"Oh. Yeah, I sort of got used to it. Hold on, I'll get you something to wear if you want." He transferred the pancakes from his pans to two plates, on top of two stacks, and turned off the stove. "I'll be right back."

Percy disappeared into his bedroom before Nico could argue, and came back, holding an article of clothing, which he tossed to Nico.

Caught by surprise, he dropped it, and fumbled to get it back while Percy went back to the kitchen to take the plates. It was a black hoodie, embroidered with a silver trident on the front, and the faded leftovers of an inscription which was now illegible. Thankful, Nico put it on; even though it was way too large for him, it was delightfully warm.

"Thanks," he told Percy, who walked to the couches with the plates in hand.

"You look adorable. Now, come on," he said as he settled on the couch he'd been sleeping on, and waving at Nico to come sit next to him.

He did, and Percy handed him one of the plates, a stack of pancakes complete with maple syrup, whipped cream, powdered sugar, and blueberries. "This is going to make a mess," he noted.

"Who cares," Percy said, turning on the television, and switching the channel to the fabled cartoons. Nico wasn't familiar most recent American cartoons, but at first, he was too focused on trying not to spread sugar everywhere on his clothes or on the couch to even watch; they only provided a nice distraction, a background noise to fill the silence.

Percy hadn't lied; those pancakes were excellent. The blue color was a little disconcerting at first, but their texture was absolutely flawless, and the toppings combined for a perfect taste. Nico didn't exactly have a sweet tooth, but this was too good for anyone to dislike, and the only thing that stopped him from scarfing it all down at once was the fear of spilling everything. Even then, it only took him a few minutes to eat it all.

They placed their empty plates on the coffee table, and Percy grabbed the blanket back to throw it over the two of them, then settled more comfortably on the couch with a contented sigh. Nico chuckled, trying his best to focus on the cartoons, but they all just slipped by without being processed by his mind. He supposed they were funny, on some level, but he couldn't quite care.

But the cartoons had a strangely hypnotic effect, and Nico's instincts took over his body from more reasonable thoughts. As he looked for a comfortable position, he ended up snuggling closer to Percy, and Percy wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer. They shifted ever so slightly, Percy angling himself to let Nico lie back against his own chest, and resting his head on Nico's shoulder.

It all happened gradually, almost unconsciously, but soon Nico was wrapped in Percy's arms under the blanket, and they were still just watching cartoons. With the hoodie, the blanket and Percy's body right against his, the heat was quickly unbearable, but it barely registered when he removed the hoodie. Minutes later, he kicked the blanket off, causing Percy to hug him a little closer even.

They barely talked at all, but it was just as well; words would have probably broken the spell, shattered the illusion. When morning turned to noon and the cartoons were replaced by other, somehow even less interesting programs, Percy turned off the television, and they lay frozen for a minute, pressed against each other.

Then, slowly, Nico shifted once more, turning to face Percy. He could feel the other boy's heartbeat thrumming against his own skin, and in his eyes, he found a fascinated longing. That was all he needed. He closed the distance, capturing Percy's lips with his. The other boy grabbed a firmer hold of him, clinging to him, as if to never let him go again.

The extra height Nico had gained since the last time made him fit perfectly in that embrace, and he gave in to it. For a brief moment, he was transported back to the last summer, to a happier time; but it didn't last. This was different, but not necessarily bad. It was not a carefree, lust-ridden kiss, in spite of Percy's current state of undress; it was more of a long-awaited reunion, a renewal.

Like the reunion of Persephone and her mother, bringing spring to Earth, the Mythomagic nerd in him provided. The thought made him chuckle, and Percy pulled back, casting him a curious glance, but Nico ignored him and kissed him again. But Percy pulled away once more, cupping Nico's face with one hand to stop him this time.

"Hang on a minute," he said, chuckling. "We should—"

Nico flared up at once. "Don't you dare tell me I'm still too young. I'm not taking that answer anymore."

Percy just smirked. "I wouldn't dare."

"Then what were you going to say?"

"I'm… not really sure. Just— What is this?"

"I thought it would be obvious."

"You know what I mean. What are we doing? You've— you've just come to live here for a while, you can't just kiss me and then pretend it never happened. What do you want, Nico?"

Nico paused, unsettled by the seriousness of Percy's tone. "I don't really know," he said, scooting away from Percy. "I just… really wanted to kiss you. I didn't think any further than that. And I'd like to do it again. I want to— I don't know. Be with you, I guess."

Percy nodded, but there was a shadow in his eyes. "So do I. But Nico… Are you sure? I mean, are you— are we good?"

He knew exactly what Percy meant—_who_ he meant. "I—"

"Don't," Percy interrupted him. "Don't tell me it's okay just because you think I want to hear it."

Nico looked him in the eye, catching the sorrow. He remembered what he'd thought after the accident, how Percy had looked devastated and how Nico had thought he had no right to be. But what he'd seen of Percy in the past couple of days had shown him that, whether Nico liked it or not, Percy _was_ sorry for what had happened to Bianca. Worse, he regretted it—he couldn't forgive himself. Nico had thought of Percy as guilty of a crime against him, and that was still true. But Percy was suffering as well, and in that sense, they were alike.

"What if it's true, though? What if I _do_ forgive you? What if I'd prefer that we help each other move on? I can't be angry at you forever, and you can't blame yourself forever."

"I don't deserve your forgiveness." Percy's eyes glistened with tears, and Nico reached out to cup his face.

"Well, I'm not even sure that I've forgiven you yet. But I think you deserve a shot at earning forgiveness. I think _we_ deserve a chance full stop." He kissed Percy again, briefly. "And I won't take any more arguing from you."

Percy laughed and started to cry all at once, and Nico pulled him closer, letting him cry on his shoulder, holding him tight. "I'm sorry," Percy repeated over and over, and Nico wasn't sure it was meant for him, for Bianca, or for anyone in particular.

"Are you going to be okay?" Nico asked when Percy finally pulled away.

"I think so."

"Are we good, then?"

Percy chuckled again. "You're the one who calls the shot on that one."

"I mean—" Nico wasn't sure how to phrase his question. "Are we… together?"

A true smile finally bloomed on Percy's face. "I guess we are."

Nico was pretty certain his heart exploded, there and then.

* * *

For a minute or so, Nico didn't know what to do next. It was one thing to say they were together, but what now? Did they even have to _do_ anything? Kissing Percy again would feel almost redundant right now.

The spell of the moment was broken by the distinct sound of a Skype call alert. Nico didn't know when exactly Percy had turned on his laptop, but it was while they were still watching those cartoons.

That thought made Nico chuckle, as Percy hurried to see who was calling. How did a morning go from perfect pancakes, to cartoons, to _this_? Life sure was weird sometimes. But he could deal with more of this brand of weirdness.

"Hey, man," Percy said, grinning at the screen.

"Hi. Um, are you naked?" The voice was familiar, even with the distortion of computer speakers and bad Internet connection—it was Jason. "Can I expect a show?" That flirtatious tone was new, though.

Percy glanced down at himself and finally seemed to realize he was still in his underwear. "Oh, no, I'm not— Not at all!" he stumbled over his words, and a blush crept up his neck. "I'm with Nico right now."

"Really? Can he hear me? Hi, Nico!"

Sighing, Nico moved behind the couch to be visible by the webcam. "Hi. It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has. Why didn't you call me?"

"Aren't you at least going to _pretend_ you're surprised?" Percy asked.

"Well, I _am_ waiting for an explanation, but I figured you wouldn't be able to resist telling me anyway."

"Nico lives here. With me."

Jason rose an eyebrow, glancing at Nico, but he said nothing. Sighing, Nico realized he still hadn't told Percy what had happened. "It's my mom. She's never been… accepting, after I first came out, but— it's gotten worse." He averted Percy's concerned eyes, focusing on the laptop. At least it was possible to pretend he didn't notice Jason's expression when it was pixelated. "Percy's the only person I knew in the city."

"Ah. It's purely for practical purposes, then. Just escaping from an abusive household."

"My mom's not _abusive_," Nico protested. "She's has a hard time coping, ever since— ever since last summer."

"If you say so. It's probably best you left anyway. How's it going between you two, then?" A grin formed on his face. "Is it even safe for me to ask? What with mister naked over here."

"It's nothing like that!" Nico said.

"It _is_ sort of like that, actually," Percy objected. Nico glared at him, but he supposed Percy was right. "Well, it's been for about five minutes now. You have the weirdest timing, Jason."

"So I get exclusivity, too." He sounded way too pleased by the news. "Congratulations, you guys. Oh, can I tell the girls?"

Percy glanced at Nico, who replied with a confused frown. "Sure, I guess. If you have nothing better to talk about."

"Great! Well, I should probably leave you to it, then, right? I didn't interrupt anything, at least, did I?"

Percy smirked. "Nah, you didn't."

"Okay, great. Wouldn't want to be your very first cock block. Anyway, talk to you guys soon!"

The call ended abruptly before either of them could answer. "Well, that was pointless," Nico noted.

"He calls every week. At least. I think he's checking up on me. Making sure I'm okay."

"I see." He would probably have done the same in Jason's place, if what he'd seen of Percy in the past few days was any indication. "And me being here means you're okay?" Not moving from his position behind the couch, he leaned forward to wrap his arms around Percy's shoulder, placing a kiss on the back of his neck.

A chuckle escaped him. "Better, at least." He craned his neck to catch Nico's lips with his, but they only kissed briefly. "But I probably should get dressed now. Just in case someone else decides to barge in."

Nico made no effort to hide his disappointment at Percy getting dressed, but it was mostly for the show. There would be other moments, other opportunities. At least, so he hoped.


	10. Chapter 10

Jason's call may have ended a moment between Nico and Percy, but it also helped them come back down to reality a little. Specifically, to Nico's bag, and Percy's promise to help unpack it, which they worked on after lunch.

The major problem came from the lack of space in Percy's tiny apartment. All he had to store clothes were a diminutive wardrobe and a few drawers, and most of that was already used.

Between that puzzle of organization and Nico's reluctance at intruding on Percy's space, they spent a few hours solving this issue—in spite of Percy's dismissal of the latter. Even then, Nico didn't mind; the brainstorming, the frantic attempts at shoving everything inside, even the failures, all that helped them transition into a new dynamic. They'd barely had time to find a routine yet, but it has been shaken the moment they'd decided to start a relationship, and this simple task helped them to simply _be_ together, to exist in the same room, to function together.

In the end, Percy just gave up, and moved a few piles of his own clothes to a chair in his bedroom to make space for Nico's—and no objection changed his mind. Everything was cramped, and would probably come out wrinkled, but it was the best solution they could come up with.

With that out of the way, the two of them crashed on the couches again, tired of all the struggling it had taken to get everything sorted. Eventually, Percy turned on his console again, throwing a controller to Nico, and they spent a few hours playing, until evening came.

"Any plans for dinner?" Nico asked. He hadn't looked through all the kitchen cupboards yet, but he doubted Percy had a lot of food to cook at all, except for pancake ingredients.

Percy's face lit up, and he turned off the console. "Actually, yes. I'm taking you out."

Nico scoffed. "What, on a date?"

Percy remained absolutely serious, however. "Yes, on a date. Why, does that surprise you? You're getting the full 'dating Percy Jackson' experience."

'Dating Percy Jackson'. Those words still felt a little unreal; especially after how… _normal_ the afternoon had been. "I— I just hadn't really thought about that. I've never been on a date before."

Percy chuckled. "I _think_ you'll survive."

Sighing, Nico stood up, glancing down at himself. "That's not really what I meant. But I need to change before we go." A damn shame, too: he didn't want to part with Percy's hoodie if he didn't have to.

"Well it's not like I'm taking you to some fancy restaurant. Unless— you'd like me to?"

The flustered way he asked made Nico laugh. "Nah, anywhere's fine." He managed to stop himself before something too corny—like 'as long as it's with you'—could escape his mouth. "But I'm still going to change."

Five minutes later, Nico was wearing jeans and one of his many black shirts, and they left Percy's apartment. They didn't go far, stopping at a diner two blocks from there, where Percy was apparently a regular customer, if the waitress's reaction was any indication.

"Oh, hi, Percy! It's been a while, I was starting to think you'd forgotten about us." She punctuated her words with a pout, and Nico took an immediate dislike to her.

"Yeah, I know, Angela. I've been through a lot."

She raised an eyebrow, and her words fired before Percy could say anything else. "Oh, do tell! Or, wait, don't, you'll tell me all about it while you're eating. The usual table?"

"Um, actually, we'd like a table for two." A confused frown had formed on Percy's face, as if he hadn't realized that Angela hadn't even acknowledged Nico's presence yet.

She glanced at Nico. "Right. Sorry. And who're you?"

Nico had no intention to answer her suddenly cold tone, but Percy didn't seem to mind. "Angela, this is Nico, my boyfriend." At the word 'boyfriend', Angela's face dissolved into petrified mortification.

"Right. Nice to meet you, Nico. Well, follow me, boys."

"Did you really have to tell her?" Nico whispered to Percy as they followed her through the diner. It was fairly small, and with its wooden furniture, had an old-timey look to it; but even with most tables occupied, it didn't feel crowded. They quickly reached the table.

"Here you go! I'll bring you the menu."

After she left, Percy eyed Nico curiously. "What do you mean, 'did I have to tell her'? Do you want me to lie about our relationship?"

"No, it's not that, I just—" He had to pause as Angela came back with the menus, then left again. "She was obviously flirting with you, and— I think you made everything a little uncomfortable."

Percy stared at him, skeptical. "Angela flirts with most guys. Also, I came here with Jason once; that didn't deter her." The off-handed mention of Jason was a little surprising; Nico hadn't ever really found out how involved they used to be. "That can't possibly be the problem. There's something else, right?"

Nico sighed. "I'm just not sure it's a good idea to flaunt our relationship. Couldn't you get in trouble? Because of my age?"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "_You're_ the one who said I couldn't argue about that anymore," he said, teasing. "But you're right. I looked it up; the age of consent is seventeen in New York. I'm eighteen, you're fifteen; that's a problem. But then again, that's _my_ problem."

"It's kind of my problem too," Nico argued.

"And it's not a problem at all until you're ready to have sex, anyway."

His matter-of-fact tone did nothing to prevent Nico from flaring up almost instantly, a blush covering most of his face—setting him on fire, and not the pleasant kind of usually felt around Percy. "I just—"

"_You just_ need to relax a little and enjoy the moment. It'll be fine."

Nico sighed. "I guess you're right."

* * *

Angela came back for their orders, and she was already back to her warm, flirtatious self—she even unfroze a little towards Nico. Percy had probably been right about her; she must have been surprised by Nico's presence. Or his age. Whatever. He had to enjoy the moment, as Percy had said. It was what Bianca had wished for him on her New Year's card, too.

Percy more or less coerced Nico into trying out the burger, and he had been absolutely right; they were excellent. And with no apologies to get out, with all the ghosts of their past resolutely behind them, and no silly occupation to keep them busy, Percy and Nico could finally talk.

It started out awkward, of course. For all Nico liked Percy, he realized he didn't know that much about him. They had talked about themselves, of course, back at Camp Half-Blood, but there was only so much they could say in three weeks. Conversation went all over the place, from what led Percy to first join Camp Half-Blood, to anecdotes of Nico's time in Italy and New Orleans.

When Angela brought desserts—she called them 'Petits Gateaux', a chocolate cake with a molten chocolate core—she made a comment that piqued Nico's curiosity. "Here you go. You're a lucky one," she pretended to whisper to Nico, but had barely lowered her voice. "It's our best dessert, but Percy's never shared that secret with anyone before."

Nico was too taken aback to reply, but she didn't seem to mind, and left with a wink. As she did, Nico glanced at Percy. "She meant—Jason, right?"

Percy bit his lip. "Yeah."

"Why didn't either of you ever tell me—"

He shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. The year before you came to Camp Half-Blood, I was dating Annabeth, but we broke up a few days before camp started, and Jason was assigned as my partner. We didn't really get along at the time, but it… sort of changed."

"Obviously enough," Nico teased with a smile.

"It didn't really mean anything. We were good—we were _the best_. We had both just been through a tough breakup. And we kind of ended up sleeping in the same bed more often than not—but it was just for comfort, we didn't, you know, _sleep together_. Then he came over for the rest of summer, and we took it a little further. It was fun, but it didn't last long."

"I _do_ have trouble picturing you two dating."

"Exactly," Percy said, laughing. "At first, I was tempted to invite him over this summer too, but then I met you, he got back with Piper and Reyna, so it didn't happen."

The way he said 'I met you', like it was the most important part of that story, made Nico's heart flutter. "I'll never understand how you can all be such good friends when you spend most of the year apart."

"Well, this is the first time. When we were in high school, we would see each other all the time, during weekends or holidays. Now, with college, it's a little more complicated. I hope we can do something for spring break, though." He didn't look certain about that, though—and visibly disappointed.

Nico figured he should change his mind. "You know, I still don't know where you go to college."

A half-smile formed on Percy's lips. "Columbia. I study the classics."

"The 'classics'…?" Nico frowned.

"Latin and ancient Greek. Mostly the latter, because I like it more."

Nico gaped at him. "I— didn't really picture you studying dead languages."

Percy shrugged, chuckling. "What can I say, we all have our hidden facets. I started learning Ancient Greek years ago, after my mom took me on a trip to Greece. My dad's family was from there, and she thought I should at least get to see it once."

"Your dad—"

"He passed away before I was born." The words had shot out of Percy's mouth, and there was a strange, resolute expression in his eyes.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Thanks. But that does remind me…" Nico braced himself; he knew what came next. "What's going on with your mom? You weren't very clear this morning, with Jason."

Nico looked away. "I said everything there was to say."

"You said she wasn't accepting of you since you came out. But that was a while ago, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, a few years ago. We still lived in Italy."

"So what changed?"

"What do you _think_ changed?" Nico's words had come out more aggressively than he'd intended, and he did his best to calm down. "After Bianca died, she— I don't really know. I think she suffers from depression? She's taking medication for it, anyway, but she's never come close to recovering. Most of the time, she was just… absent. Sometimes she would erupt, but it was over almost immediately, so I ignored it. But on my birthday—" He stopped, unwilling to conjure the memory of his conversation with his mom.

"Hey, it's— it's okay. You don't have to talk about it. I shouldn't have asked." He paused. "It sucks, that you had to deal with that, on top of everything else."

Nico sighed. "Yeah. And thanks. For giving me a way out. It was probably weird to see me at your doorstep."

Percy smiled, and reached across the table to take Nico's hand. "It's my pleasure."

* * *

Even bringing up memories of Bianca and of his mom couldn't dampen the mood for very long. But the evening had to come to an end eventually, when Angela practically kicked them out of the diner.

They emerged on the street, laughing at her outburst, and Percy wrapped an arm around Nico, holding him close against the cold as they walked back to the apartment. Before heading in, however, Percy paused in front of the building.

"What is it?" Nico asked, looking up at him.

A grin was spread on Percy's face. "I did promise you the full 'dating Percy Jackson' experience, didn't I? Usually, they end here."

"But we both live here, that's—"

He was cut off as Percy kissed him, in a way that was very cinematic. He held Nico closer, his warm presence overwhelming Nico's senses completely. It was a more chaste kiss than what they'd previously shared—there were no wandering hands, no frantic attempts at increasing the contact between them. Just their lips, but it seemed more… romantic, this way. More appropriate for a first date, Nico supposed.

When Percy pulled back, Nico was breathless and dizzy, and he was glad for Percy's arms keeping him steady. "Okay. I get why you wouldn't want to skip on that."

Percy chuckled, and kissed him again, quickly. "Come on, let's get inside."

The air in the apartment was barely less cold than outside, but it was a perfectly valid reason for Nico to cling to Percy a little while longer. That little while soon turned into a long while, until they ended up sprawled on Percy's bed, their arms linked around each other; not even kissing anymore, just content to be in each other's proximity.

Nico rested his head on Percy's chest, and drifted off to the sound of his heartbeat. As he was about to fall asleep, he forced himself to move. "I'll get back to the couch."

Percy stopped him with the hand that still rested on Nico's back. "Don't be ridiculous. You can stay here."

"But I'm still dressed." His complaint was half-hearted at best; if Nico were honest, he really didn't want to move right now.

Percy sighed. "Just take off your pants. It's not that difficult." He sat up just long enough to take off his own jeans, then collapsed back on the bed. "What? It's not like this is the first time."

It wasn't, and the compromise was perfectly acceptable to Nico, who complied. Moments later, he was back in Percy's arms, who wrapped his blanket around the two of them. "Good night, Nico."

"Good night."


End file.
